Heartsong
by MyImmortal329
Summary: Sequel to "Life Goes On." Sully embarks on a quest to rescue his kidnapped wife.
1. Denver Enthusiasm

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS, The Sullivan Company and to A&E. This is the sequel to "Life Goes On."

Heartsong  
Chapter 1: Denver Enthusiasm

Michaela and Sully had spent the last two weeks in Denver, away from the stress of Colorado Springs. The twins were two months old and thriving, and although they were supposed to wait until six-weeks after the twins were born, Michaela and Sully had cheated a bit and refreshed their love life a few days into their vacation.

Michaela was feeling so much better about everything that had happened in the past couple of months. She and Sully were happy together, and their boys were doing exceptionally well. However, it was time to go back to Colorado Springs, and Michaela and Sully were spending their last night of their vacation in each other's arms.

After making love that night, Sully held Michaela in his arms as her head rested on his chest. She was listening to his heart beating steadily in his chest, and she knew that she would always cherish that beautiful sound.

"I can't believe we're going back home tomorrow," Michaela whispered as Sully's hand stroked her back gently. "I miss the children and our friends, but it doesn't seem like we've been gone for two weeks."

"I know. But, at least we've had some privacy."

"Yes, that's something I'd been missing."

"Me too," Sully replied with a chuckle. He gave her a kiss and she sighed against his lips.

"You feel okay?" Michaela nodded and sat up in bed, pulling the sheet up to wrap around her body.

"Yes. I feel wonderful, Sully. It's just that I'm going to miss Denver. I'm going to miss being alone with you for two weeks. Well, we haven't been completely alone." Michaela looked toward the twins' beds. "But it seems as if we've grown even closer if it's possible."

"I think it is," Sully replied. He leaned in to kiss her. Michaela smiled against his lips.

"Do you think everything's alright in Colorado Springs?" Sully sighed and leaned back onto his pillow.

"I thought we weren't supposed to think about bad things during this vacation," he pointed out.

"I know," Michaela replied, getting out of bed and walking across the room to pour herself a glass of water, not bothering to put her clothes on. "I just can't help but wonder how they're all getting along without a doctor."

"I'm sure they're all fine."

"I can't help but worry."

"Ah," Sully warned, getting out of bed and going to his wife's side. He pulled her into his arms and she put her glass of water down. "We gotta leave in the mornin', so we might as well make the most of our time left."

"And just what are you suggesting we do until the morning?" Michaela asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning widely. Sully pulled Michaela close and ran his hand down her back to her bottom, and then slowly back up to run through her hair.

"I'll show ya," he replied. He picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed they had been occupying for the past two weeks. He put her down and she sprawled out in the center of the bed, her golden brown hair splaying out across the beautiful silk bed sheets.

Sully walked over to the cart which room service had brought in. Michaela had felt the craving for fresh cherries earlier, so he decided to make the most of the leftovers.

"Sully?" Michaela asked.

"Shh," he whispered, bringing the bowl to set on the bedside table. Once he situated himself on the bed between her open legs, he picked up one of the cherries by its stem and held it to her lips. Michaela's lips puckered against if for a moment. She stared into her husband's eyes before bringing her tongue out to lick the sweet juice off of it. She finally took it between her teeth and tore it from the stem. She chewed it slowly as Sully ran another cherry along her neck and followed the sticky trail with his tongue and lips.

Michaela's skin began to tingle at Sully's sensual caresses. His free hand moved to her breast and began to gently massage her, running his thumb over her nipple, causing her to moan from the back of her throat. He looked up to see Michaela swallowing the last bit of her cherry.

"Good?" he asked.

"Mmm," she replied with a grin, all words lost to her at the moment as his hand moved to give her other breast the same wonderful treatment. Michaela felt bold and flipped Sully over onto his back by gently pressing on his chest and shifting her weight. She straddled Sully's waist, feeling his arousal pressing against her thigh. She pulled a cherry out of the bowl and ran it down his chest, lapping up the sticky sweet trail as she continued her sweet torture. When she reached his right nipple, she licked it slightly and then tenderly bit on it like she did with the cherry. Sully let out a growl from deep inside of him.

"Michaela," he moaned as her hand moved to stroke the soft part of his belly below his navel. His hips bucked off of the bed and Michaela knew that he was holding on for dear life. Michaela's lips met Sully's, and they could both taste the sweet residue from the cherries in each other's mouths. Sully made a swift move Michaela onto her back. He decided to show her a bit of pleasure, the kind he had shown her while she was still sore after giving birth.

Michaela closed her eyes tightly and arched her back, gripping the bed sheets as Sully began to make love to her with his mouth. She bit her bottom lip as Sully's lips invaded her with a loving tenderness.

"Sully!" she cried out, trying not to be too loud. They were always worried that the babies would wake and interrupt them if they got too loud. But, she couldn't help it. But, in order to stifle her voice, she pulled a pillow over her mouth to moan into. Sully smiled, pleased at the way his wife called out his name. He kissed up her body and pulled the pillow from her mouth, tossing it over his shoulder. He kissed her lips as her hands moved to clench in his hair.

"Are you ready?" he growled into his wife's ear. She moaned and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes," she replied softly, practically purring her response. A moment later, Sully was buried inside of her, filling her to the hilt with himself. Michaela gasped for breath, loving the way her husband fit inside of her. After a moment, Sully regained his composure and his trembling lips met Michaela's. He began to move inside of her, taking long, slow strides as she pulled her legs around his waist to meet his thrusts with her own.

"Michaela!" he moaned as he buried his cries in her shoulder. The passion grew by the moment, and the amazing feelings they could produce between the two of them in the midst of making love was incredible! Sully's mouth moved to Michaela's breaths as she panted heavily. His tongue found her hardened nipples. He knew her breasts were tender, so he decided not to spend much time on them with his mouth, but once he moved back to her mouth, he felt her breasts swell a bit in his hands.

Michaela felt herself coming close to the edge. Her entire body was trembling as the sweat coated her body. She felt Sully become rigid as he cried out his climax. Sully spilt his seed and collapsed atop his wife. He rolled off of her and played out on his side of the bed. Michaela, although sated, was hungry. She reached over and took the bowl of cherries and began to finish them off. Sully's breathing was starting to slow, and he looked at Michaela with narrowed eyes.

"Ain't you tired?"  
"Yes, but I'm hungry," she replied. Sully looked at her flat stomach and then at her face.

"You ain't pregnant again, are ya?" Michaela nearly choked on a cherry pit.

"No!" she exclaimed, coughing a bit. "Sully, don't ever say that to me while I'm eating." Sully grinned, and Michaela leaned down to give him a gentle kiss.

"When do ya want to have more?"

"You want more now?" Michaela asked with wide eyes.

"Well, we talked about havin' four of our own."

"Well, why don't we wait until the boys are a little older than two months old to discuss it," Michaela replied with a laugh. Sully grinned at her.

"Don't ya want more?"

"Of course I do, but it's just a bit soon to be talking about more children." Daniel began to cry. Michaela and Sully had learned to distinguish his cries from Connor's, because his were a little more shrill.

"Speaking of babies," Sully chuckled. Michaela pulled herself out of bed and walked over to pick Daniel up. She cradled him against her body and he began to nurse. She settled back down into the bed, and Sully sat up. He loved watching Michaela nurse their children. It was one of the most natural things in the world, and it was amazing how much she glowed when she had a baby at her breast. Michaela smiled knowingly at Sully. She loved how patient he was with her when she had to feed their children. He also knew when to be gentle with her, because she was tender most of the time now that both of her sons were on a regular feeding pattern. It was amazing how quickly Sully had learned how to make love to her without making her uncomfortable.

Sully climbed out of bed and pulled Connor into his arms. He brought him back to the bed and settled in next to Michaela. They looked at the two of their identical sons. Both boys were a mixed shade of Michaela's pale and Sully's tan. Their hair was starting to come in, and it was soft and brown. She knew they were going to be spitting images of their papa.

Michaela rested her head on Sully's shoulder as he turned their oil lamp down low. They realized that it was getting rather late, so they decided to rest with their boys in their arms until it was too late for them to keep their eyes open. They both loved these quiet moments before bedtime when they could bond with their boys and each other. It was an amazing experience, and they knew that this bonding was going to form a connection for life.

Once the boys had both had their chances to eat, they both drifted off to sleep and their mama and papa took them back to their cradles.

"Rest up boys," Sully whispered. "In the mornin', we're goin' home." Michaela and Sully walked hand-in-hand back to the bed, crawled in, and spent the rest of the night, or at least the next hour and a half in each other's arms, waiting for one of their sons to wake them.

Holly was pacing back in forth at Grace's in the morning. Myra had come back to work, even though Hank didn't want his new wife to lift a finger. They were still in the newlywed stage, so Myra knew that would change. Grace was preparing breakfast for her customers who would surely be arriving soon, and Myra was setting the tables.

"Holly, are you alright?" Grace asked, nibbling on a piece of wheat toast, hoping it would calm her morning nausea.

"I'm so frustrated," she vented. "Jake and I have been going to dinner four times a week. Jake is enjoying it, and I'm just trying to get a rise out of Horace."

"Horace loves you. He's jealous. Mark my words," Myra said with a nod.

"Well, if he loves me, why doesn't he fight for me?"

"He wants you to be happy."

"But he makes me happy," Holly replied, sitting down at a table and running her fingers along the patterns on the plates.

"Want me to have Hank talk to Horace?" Myra asked.

"Would it do any good?"

"Maybe."

"Hank's sure changed," Grace added. "Maybe he can talk some sense into him." Holly shook her head.

"I think I messed this up," she whispered. "I had a great thing going with Horace until he started acting really funny."

"Maybe your best bet would be to talk to him," Grace suggested. "Ya never know until ya find out."

"Here's your chance," Myra whispered. Horace was walking over toward the café. Myra quickly finished setting the table and continued to help Grace prepare breakfast. Holly watched as Horace sat down at a table a few feet away from hers.

"Horace, you can sit with me."

"I'm alright," he replied. "Figured you'd be waitin' for Jake." Holly swallowed hard.

"Horace, we've got to talk."

"Ain't nothin' to talk about."

"No, you've got to understand why Jake and I have been having dinner together."

"You're courtin' him now." Holly sighed and stood up.

"Come on."

"I'm hungry."

"Oh, don't think with your stomach right now. We've got to talk." Horace stood up.

"I ain't in the mood. I s'pose I'll eat later." He stormed off, and Myra sighed heavily. She snuck off toward the saloon to talk with her husband. She found him playing poker and puffing on a cigar. Poker she didn't mind, but she hated when he smoked those darned cigars.

"Hank, we gotta talk," Myra said, crossing her arms. Hank looked up at his wife. The men around the table laughed.

"Damn, Hank, you've been married for two weeks. What'd ya go and do now?" one of the drunken players asked.

"You mind your own business. Jake, take my place." He handed his cards to Jake, who was sitting this round out. Jake was happy to oblige. Myra took Hank by the hand and lead him out of the saloon. Once they were on the porch, Myra turned to face him. He had his cigar in the corner of his mouth, and the smoke nearly made Myra choke. She pulled it from his mouth , threw it to the floor, and crushed it with her foot.

"That cost me, Myra!" Hank exclaimed. "Now why are ya mad at me?"  
"First of all, ya know how much I hate it when ya smoke those things. Second of all, I ain't mad at ya."

"Then why'd ya drag me out here in front of all them guys?"

"Because I need you to talk with Horace."

"What?" Hank asked with a groan. "Why me?"

"I thought you guys were friends now."

"Friends?" Hank laughed. "Hell no. We understand each other now, but we ain't friends."

"Well, you gotta talk to him anyway."

"'Bout what?"

"Holly."

"Holly's with Jake now."

"No," Myra replied.

"So you know she's makin' Horace jealous?" Hank asked.

"You knew?!"

"Jake told me," Hank replied. "I didn't know you knew."

"Well ya do now. It's getting bad. Horace is real upset. Will ya please try to talk some sense into him?"

"Will ya stop interruptin' my poker games?"

"For now."

"Alright," Hank replied.

"Thanks honey," Myra replied with a grin. She gave him a peck on the cheek and rushed off to Grace's, leaving Hank shaking his head. Hank saw Horace walking across town and figured that the sooner he got this over with, the better.

"Hey Horace!" Hank called out. Horace looked at him but kept walking. "Wait a minute!" He rushed out to catch up with himn.

"What do you want, Hank?" Horace asked quickly.

"What's the matter with you?"

"That ain't your business."

"You love Holly. She loves you. Why don't ya do somthin' about it?"

"She's with Jake now."

"Jake's inside the saloon right now."

"I mean she's courtin' him."

"She don't love Jake, Horace. She loves you, so you better go make things right before ya really do lose her. Don't be stupid." Hank turned around and went back to the saloon. Horace stared after him for a moment before he looked back toward Grace's. He saw Holly standing there, staring at him, and he knew that he had to talk to her. He couldn't lose her like he'd lost Myra. He loved her too much for that.

The stagecoach was rolling along the prairie as Michaela and Sully sat in the cab with their children. Michaela was worn out from their lack of sleep over the last few nights, so Sully was holding the children while she got some sleep. Sully loved the way Michaela looked when she slept. She had a smile on her face, and he wondered if she was dreaming about him.

Connor and Daniel were sleeping in their papa's arms. They had been fed about twenty minutes ago, and the stagecoach was halfway to Colorado Springs now. Sully couldn't wait to get back home to see his older children. He knew Michaela was thrilled to be going back home.

Michaela had gotten over her little sleeping problem once they got to Denver. She and Sully would wear each other out during the evening, so nobody had a problem sleeping. It was just that the past few nights at the hotel had been pretty sleepless due to the act of trying to wear one another out. They loved being able to make love and not get interrupted. Michaela had learned quickly that if she fed the twins right before bedtime, they would sleep for at least two hours before they'd wake up again. That gave Mr. And Mrs. Sully some quiet time of their own.

Sully was amazed at how fast time was flying. It was November, so that meant that their anniversary was in a month. He couldn't believe that he had been married to Michaela for almost a year! They had two beautiful children out of the fruits of their labors, and they were both still very young and healthy. He knew they had the rest of their lives together.

He smiled when he saw the locket around Michaela's neck. It was his heartsong necklace. He regretted now that he had separated the words when he had the locket made. Having the word connected as one would have made the locket more special. But, he knew Michaela adored and appreciated it just the same.

The stagecoach came to an abrupt halt, waking Michaela from her slumber.

"Sully? What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. The sound of two gunshots let Michaela and Sully know that their coach drivers were dead. Michaela went to scream, but held her tongue. Sully became alarmed because he wanted to get out and find out what was going on, but the twins were nestled in his arms so peacefully. A moment later, the door to the cab of the stagecoach opened and a older man with a wild look in his eyes pointed the barrel of a shotgun right at Sully. "Look, mister, ya don't wanna be doin' this."

"Get out," he grumbled.

"Go on," Michaela whispered. "I'll follow you." Sully slowly started out of the cab with the babies in his arms. Once he was down on the ground, Michaela started out. The man grabbed her arm roughly, and Sully wanted to throw his tomahawk at the man's arm right then and there. But he couldn't move quickly because he had this boys to think about.

"Get your hands off of her!" The man roughly pushed her back into the cab and slammed the door. He climbed up onto the stagecoach and looked down at Sully. "Michaela!"

"You tried takin' her away from me!" the man yelled. "She ain't yours! She's mine!"

"Sully!" Michaela cried out in terror.

"Come after us and I'll kill you! Yah!" The horses ran off and Sully wanted to follow, but he couldn't. He couldn't take his sons into that danger. He had to get them to safety, and then he was going to go after his wife. If he had to, he'd kill the man that had taken her away.


	2. Desperation

Chapter 2: Desperation 

Michaela watched as the hills rolled by as the stagecoach raced through the prairie. She knew she had to get away. She had to get to Sully. He wouldn't be coming after her just yet, because he had to get the boys to safety. She knew she'd have to take things into her own hands.

She looked out at the rugged ground. Right now, the coach was racing over rocks and hard ground. The prairie grass was surrounding them, but if Michaela were to jump, she'd surely injure herself seriously. All Michaela could think about as she sat on the floor and against the wall of the stagecoach was her husband and children. She knew that Sully was going to come after her as soon as he knew the boys were safe. She hoped to God that wouldn't take long. Right now, her captor was heading away from Colorado Springs. It was getting dark, and Michaela knew that it wouldn't be long before they'd have to stop. Perhaps she'd try to escape then. But then again, he could feel bold and try to kill her.

Michaela felt her shoulder starting to throb with pain. When the man had shoved her back into the cab of the stagecoach, she had hit her shoulder on the edge of one of the seats.

She put her hand to it and that pressure seemed to ease a little of the pain. She was clutching her medical bag tightly as her mind raced with thoughts of what the man was planning to do with her.

Before she had much time to think of an escape plan, the stagecoach came to a halt and she heard the man walking around to open the door. She prepared herself for a fierce, angry man who was going to try to take advantage of her, kill her, and throw her body away like an old shirt.

"Millicent!" he exclaimed. Millicent? Who was Millicent? Once he opened up the door, his eyes shone with tears and his mouth curled up in a smile.

"Get away from me!" Michaela exclaimed, pulling her legs up and hugging them to her chest while her arms locked firmly around them. She felt like a cornered raccoon.

"Millicent! They told me you died in that fire, but I didn't believe 'em!"

"Who are you?" Michaela asked, the tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"Millicent Luther? Don't you remember your own husband? Don't you remember your David?" So the man's name was David Luther. He was a man of middle age. He was rugged but kind looking. He didn't look like a kidnapper.

"I'm sorry if I frightened ya, darlin'," he whispered. "I didn't mean to get so rough, but I had to get ya away from 'im. I knew ya didn't die. I knew it was a conspiracy and they took ya away from me. Oh, darlin', I can't believe I found ya." Michaela swallowed hard. This man truly believed she was his dead wife.

"Please, I'm not who you think I am. My name is Michaela Sully. I . . . I have a husband and five children."

"Millicent, you don't have to be afraid no more. We're gonna be together again. I've built us a new home, and we'll be there tomorrow. Tonight, we gotta sleep 'round the campfire." Michaela swallowed hard and watched as David extended a hand to her. "Come on out now. I'll build us a fire, and we'll be on the road by mornin'." Michaela decided that for now, she'd get out of the stagecoach and stretch her legs. She accepted his grimy hand and he pulled her out. He leaned down to kiss her, but she jerked her head away. "It's alright, Millicent. I understand. Those bastards musta put you through a lot. I won't kiss ya till you're ready." Michaela pulled away and gripped her medical bag close to her. "What ya got there?"

"They're my medical supplies."

"Medical supplies? Are ya sick?"

"No!" Michaela exclaimed. She was about to yell out that she was a doctor, but she realized that perhaps it would be better if she kept quiet about it. Maybe she'd be safer if she played along and pretended to be his wife. As long as he didn't try anything with her, she'd be able to suffer through being away from her family long enough for him to fall asleep.

Unfortunately for Michaela, there was already a supply of firewood on the stagecoach, and she guessed that the drivers had stored it in case they had a broken wheel and had to stop for the night.

Michaela had hoped that he'd trust her to stay put long enough to find firewood, but unfortunately he didn't have to go anywhere. David got the fire started right away, and he set out a few blankets and pillows to sleep upon. Michaela felt sorry for him in some way, because he honestly believed that she was his dead wife. She knew grief could do powerful things, but she didn't know that it could actually cause someone to go into such deep denial that reality could become distorted.

David smiled at Michaela as she paced around the campfire with her medical bag in her hands. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, and the wheels were turning, trying to figure out a way to get away from him. He was harmless to her, but she knew that if she messed with his head, he could turn on her. He was obviously insane with grief.

She thought about everything he had said to her. Trust. He wanted her to trust him. That was it! He had said earlier that he wouldn't kiss her or anything until she was ready for him to. Perhaps this was her chance!

"David?" she asked with a smile, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, darlin'?" he asked, poking around at the burning logs with a long stick.

"I think I hear a stream nearby. I'm going to go freshen up."

"I'll come with ya. These woods are dangerous. There are bears 'round."

"It's November. The bears are hibernating," Michaela replied softly. She smiled. "Besides, I'd like you to wait for me." She gave him the best suggestive look she could give him under the pressure she was feeling. A knowing look came over David Luther's face.

"Oh. Are you sure, darlin'? You must be tired."  
"I'm sure. I've missed you so much since those men took me," she whispered innocently.

"Alright, well you don't take too long. If you ain't back in five minutes, I'm gonna come lookin'. I worry 'bout ya, darlin'."

"I'll be alright," Michaela promised.

"You be careful. I love ya, Millicent." Michaela swallowed back the lump in her throat. But, she had to be convincing.

"I love you too, David," she squeaked out. David gave her a proud grin and began to unbutton his shirt. Michaela shivered with disgust, and hurried toward a stream she had pretended to hear.

As she walked in the complete darkness of the cold forest, she thought about Sully. What was he doing now? How were the twins? She thought about her children back home. She hoped that they were doing alright, and she prayed that they were being well taken care of. Grace and Robert E. had promised to look after them. But, Matthew liked to be in charge when he had the chance. She knew now that he was going to do so more often. Before Josef had left for Boston, he had given Matthew an envelope, leaving him the new homestead he had built for himself and Elizabeth. However, he had told his grandson that he could only move in once he was married, and once he was old enough to be a husband and a homeowner.

Michaela's breath began to quicken, as the night air grew colder. She wasn't sure how far she was away from David's campsite, but when she turned around, she couldn't see the glow of the flames. She turned back in the direction she was heading and began to run, tears starting to fall again. She needed to get home, and she had no idea which direction home was in.

"Sully," she cried out in a whisper. She stumbled and fell, and she could feel the blood start to trickle out of a tiny cut on her knee. She sat down in a pile of dead leaves and leaned against a tree. Her hand moved to Sully's beautiful locket around her neck. She held it tightly in her hands until she thought it was going to make a permanent impression. "Sully. Please find me. Oh God, please find me!" She closed her eyes tightly as a lone wolf howled up at the moon.

Sully's eyes flew open. He had just managed to drift off to sleep after having dealt with two hungry, crying babies for the past hour. He hadn't wanted to see shelter, but he had to do it for the sake of his sons. He had to get them back to Colorado Springs before he went after Michaela. He only hoped that it wouldn't be too late.

He had sought shelter in an old shack that had obviously not been lived in for decades. The boys were sleeping side-by-side on a bed while Sully slept in another bed across the room. Everything was silent, but something inside told Sully that he wasn't completely alone. He had heard her voice. She was calling for him, and he knew it. For one brief moment, her soul had reached out and connected to his.

His heart was pounding, and he could almost feel her hand touching his chest above his heart. He took a few gasps of air and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He crept out of the shack and looked up at the pale full moon. The clouds were partially covering it, causing a hazy ring to circle around it.

"Michaela!" he screamed out, falling to his knees, wishing he had been able to protect her. "I'll find you! I swear I'll find you!" Hot tears began to flow from Sully's eyes, and he felt like something was clutching him around the throat, cutting off his air supply. Michaela was as necessary to him as oxygen, and without her, he felt as if he couldn't breathe. She was everything to him; a part of him. Why did she have to be taken from him now?

Sully pounded the ground with his fists, crying out in frustration. He needed her. He hated not knowing where she was, what kind of person she was with, and if she was safe.

The sound of one of his sons brought him out of his fit. He sucked in a deep breath and rushed into the shack to pick up Connor. He carried him outside and sat down against the side of the shack. He pulled the boy close and just being next to his father's heart calmed the boy.

"I'm gonna find your ma, son," Sully vowed. "I'm gonna find her, and I'm gonna bring her back to us." After a few minutes, Sully stood and carried Connor back into the shack, put him down to sleep, and crawled back into the empty bed on the other side of the room. He tossed and turned, not being able to get Michaela's beautiful face out of his mind. He couldn't help but hear her screaming for him as that stagecoach rolled away. That bloodcurdling, ear-splitting scream sent chills down his spine.

Sully closed his eyes tightly, trying desperately to get those horrible thoughts out of his mind. He thought hard, needing the good memories to come to him. His memory of their first kiss came rushing back to him like a tidal wave.

_"Stop for a second," he said quietly. Michaela stopped and turned to Sully. He buttoned the buttons to his jacket so the cold air couldn't get to Michaela. He buttoned them slowly, working from the bottom up, and his eyes locked on hers as he did so. Michaela's breaths became quickened and short. She felt faint and wonderful all at the same time as his eyes looked into her soul. She began to shiver even more. "You're shakin'." His hand found hers and he could feel that they were freezing. "We better get you home." After a few minutes, Michaela looked away._

_"You're not moving."_

_"Neither are you," Sully whispered. Again, the world seemed to disappear, and both Michaela and Sully felt as if they were floating on a cloud. Sully had never felt like this with Abagail, but he was younger then. He was foolishly in love. Yes, he loved Abagail, but there was something about Michaela that made his heart pound and his knees to become weak._

_Michaela could feel her knees starting to become weak as well, and a moment later, Sully was leaning into her. She closed her eyes, knowing what was coming. _

_"Oh Sully," she whispered. A moment later, the gap between them was gone and Sully's lips were pressed softly against Michaela's. The feeling was the most electrifying Michaela had ever felt. A few seconds passed, and Sully's soft lips pulled away from hers. For a moment, Michaela thought he was going to turn from her, but he leaned down to press another kiss to her lips, this one much shorter. The silence that followed seemed to last an eternity, but Sully took Michaela's hand and led her toward home._

Tears flooded Sully's eyes again, and he blinked them away. He could feel his lips tingling from that beautiful kiss. He wished he could reach out to her and lead her home again, but he didn't know where she was. He knew that the first place he was going to go once he got the boys to safety, was the place Michaela had been kidnapped at. He was going to get Wolf and make sure he could follow her scent.

"I'll find you," Sully whispered, holding his hand over his heart as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. "I'll find you Michaela, or I'll die trying."

The wind was starting to howl through the trees of the forest. Michaela could hear the whistling, and she could hear the rustling of the leaves as they blew about in every which direction.

"Millicent!" came the desperate voice of David Luther. Michaela sucked in a sharp breath and held it, not wanting to be heard. She sobbed silently into her hands as she heard his footsteps approaching. "Millicent! Where are ya, darlin'?!" His voice was desperate and full of worry. "Oh darlin', answer me!" Michaela's foot slipped out and snapped a twig on accident. She knew that she'd been found as soon as David's voice stopped. She heard the pace of his steps increasing in the dead leaves. A moment later, he came into view and saw her. "Millicent! What on earth happened to ya?!" She wanted to knock him out cold and run for dear life, but she had no idea where she was going. She also had no guarantee that he'd stay unconscious long enough for her to get far away.

"I . . . I got lost," she whispered.

"Well, come with me. I heard coyotes not far from here. We best keep movin' till mornin', darlin'." Michaela couldn't make a sound now. She only nodded and submissively followed her oblivious captor toward the campsite, wishing and praying that Sully would find her now and lead her home. "They didn't hurt ya did they?" Michaela swallowed hard and managed to squeak out an answer.

"No. I'm fine, my love." She hoped that David's late wife used 'my love' when she spoke to him. Obviously she did because David didn't bat an eye at those words.

"I'm so glad to have you back. I knew all along. The house just burnt up too quickly. Well, it don't matter no more. You're here, and we're finally back together." Michaela swallowed hard and felt the pain in her knee from falling start to throb. Her shoulder had a dull ache, and she knew that she must look hideous with scratches, dirt, and bruises. She wondered how this man could be so grief-stricken to think that she was his late wife. Perhaps she had some sort of resemblance to the late Millicent Luther, but she couldn't pretend to be his wife for much longer. It just wouldn't do.

"How long have we been apart?"

"You poor thing. You musta been through a lot. It's been a year, darlin'. Last November, our friends and family told me that God took you away from me. We buried you, and I grieved, but I knew all along that it just wasn't true." Michaela shook her head, feeling pity for the man who had taken her. She knew he wasn't a danger to her now. He was kind and loving, but she couldn't let herself feel too sorry for him. She couldn't let her emotions cloud her judgment. She had to get out of his grasp as soon as possible so she could return to the man and children she loved and couldn't live without.

Once they reached the campsite, David quickly put out the fire and Michaela stood beside the stagecoach, holding her medical bag close to her. She waited for David to walk over, hoping that his mood wouldn't change and he'd decide to have his way with her. But, he simply walked over, opened up the stagecoach door, and helped her inside. Michaela sat on one of the seats, tears filling her eyes.

"Don't ya worry now, Millicent. You rest now, and it'll all be better in the mornin'." He shut the door and got up onto the driver's seat. A moment later, the horses were pulling around and starting off in the same direction they had been heading earlier. Michaela felt her hope start to fade as they continued on away from Colorado Springs. But, she saw her chance and decided to take it. As soon as the stagecoach had picked up enough speed, it was rattling along so loudly that no other sounds could be heard. Michaela knew this was her only chance to escape. She had to take it. She gripped her medical bag firmly in one hand, slowly opened the door to the stagecoach, and looked out at what she was about to jump onto. The ground was rough and rocky, and she knew she was going to be in a bit of pain, but she had to take that risk.

She held her breath and closed her eyes tightly. A moment later, she was leaping out of the fast-racing stagecoach. She hit the ground with a sickening thud and rolled down a hill, tumbling over a few jagged rocks. She bit back her screams of pain until the stagecoach was out of earshot. She had escaped without David knowing, and she hoped she'd never have to see him again.

Once she reached the bottom of the hill, she felt herself badly bruised, scratched, and bleeding. She could feel something broken in her arm, and she cried out as she tried to sit up, leaning on her arm. She cradled it gently and knew that she was going to have to make herself a sling.

She began to cry as the night grew very quiet. The only sound was that of the crickets and of her hitching sobs. She put her medical bag to the side and opened it up with her good arm. She took out some bandage scissors and tore away part of her petticoat. She worked with her free hand and her mouth, and eventually fashioned some sort of a sling. One she had the sling around her neck, she gathered a few sticks that were next to her. She put them inside of the sling to work as a splint. She felt her arm, and she knew there was a fracture she'd have to set.

Her cries were heard in the middle of the night as she bit down on a twig and set her broken arm.

Her face was covered in blood, sweat, and tears as she tried her hardest to stand. Her ankle was sprained, however, and she was bleeding from several cuts to her arms and legs. She knew she wouldn't be able to get far at all tonight, but she had to try to find shelter in order to protect herself from the elements.

Slowly, she pulled herself up and began to walk up the hill, every muscle in her body aching and throbbing as she ventured on. Her heart kept her going, though. She kept thinking back to every wonderful moment she and Sully shared, and that was what kept her focused on her journey home.

Once she reached the top of the hill, she tried to think of which way they had come from. Once she was sure she had that direction calculated correctly, she started off, hoping for a miracle, and hoping that she and her husband would be reunited.


	3. Search Party

**Chapter 3: Search Party**

By the time the noon sun was high in the sky, Sully stumbled into Colorado Springs with his twin sons in his arms. Something didn't feel right, however. He hadn't hurt himself, but for some reason, his arm was throbbing as if it had been broken. He was trying not to concentrate on that, but for some reason, that throbbing made him feel as if Michaela had been hurt. If she'd been hurt, only God knew what else had happened to her.

The children were in town having lunch at Grace's when they saw their father walking in with the boys. Both boys were crying out of hunger, and Sully knew he'd have to get them fed soon. He hoped they'd take cow's milk as a substitute until he could get Michaela back.

"Pa!" Colleen exclaimed. She, Matthew, and Brian got up from the table and ran toward Sully. A few other townsfolk followed once they saw that Sully had come back without Michaela and without a stagecoach.

"Pa! What happened?" Matthew demanded. Sully, who had been walking for the past seven hours straight, stumbled forward. Colleen quickly took Connor into her arms while Matthew took Daniel.

"Sully? What's goin' on?" Jake asked quickly. "Where's Dr. Mike?"

"We were ambushed," Sully choked out. Yesterday before the sun went down, a man killed the drivers and took off with Michaela."

"Why didn't you stop 'em?!" Brian demanded.

"I had the boys in my arms. I couldn't do anything," Sully breathed slowly. "I wanted to help her, but he was too fast. He rode away with her, and the boys are hungry."

"Those babies need to eat," Holly spoke up. "Dr. Mike's got some small glass bottles stored under her medicine cabinet at the clinic. We could fill them with cow's milk and feed them. Horace, come help me."

"Thank you, Miss Tucker," Sully said with a nod. Holly took Daniel and Horace took Connor. They started off toward the clinic. Horace was surprised that Holly had thought of him first, and that was when he began to realize that she really did want him around.

"What do ya need us to do?" Robert E. asked.

"I need a search party. I can lead it out to where Michaela was kidnapped. After that, we can split up and cover more territory."

"I'll go saddle the horses in the stables."

"Thanks Robert E." Robert E. headed off.

"I'll go get Hank and Loren," Jake offered. He started off and the children led Sully over to Grace's. Grace rushed to put together a plate of food for Sully, who was obviously very hungry. Sully didn't want to eat. He wanted to go right back out and find his wife, but he knew it would be foolish to go out there on an empty stomach.

Sully ate the food that had been placed in front of him. Brian was now holding onto Matthew, crying because he knew his mother was in danger.

"We're gonna find her, Brian. I swear to you that I'm gonna bring your ma back home." Jake, Loren, Hank, and Robert E. all came running. Robert E. had all of the horses with him.

"When do ya want us to head out?"

"Soon as I check on the boys." Sully finished down his last bite of food and hugged Colleen, Brian, and Matthew. "I want ya to stay in town at the clinic. If ya need anything, Miss Tucker, Myra, Grace, and Miss Dorothy will be there, alright?"

"We'll be alright. You just bring ma home," Colleen replied. They all hugged again, and Sully hurried across the town, the throbbing in his arm continuing as a sign that Michaela was in pain. Once he reached the clinic, he went inside to see Holly and Horace both holding the infants in their arms, feeding them with makeshift bottles.

"These will do for now. If they don't take to the cow's milk, we'll try goat's milk," Holly offered.

"We're headin' out," Sully replied.

"I'll go with ya."

"Horace?" Holly asked.

"Sully, go tell the men to saddle a horse for me." Sully nodded and left the clinic. Horace looked at Holly. "I ain't never told ya this before, but . . ."

"Yeah?"

"I love you," he whispered. "I'm sorry if I blew our chance at bein' together." Holly shook her head and silenced him with a gentle kiss to his lips. When she pulled away, a tear slid down her cheek.

"I love you too," she answered. "You come back safely, and when you do, we're gonna have a lot of years ahead of us, alright?" Horace smiled at the woman he loved and placed the baby into her arms. She held both boys at the same time and realized she was going to need help with feeding them. She waited until Horace had left, and started out the door to get some help from Dorothy.

Myra was clinging to Hank as hugged her goodbye. He hated to leave her now, but he couldn't just let Dr. Mike stay away from her friends and family. They all needed her, and he had to help bring her home.

"I ain't gonna be gone long," he promised. "You stay in town and help the ladies with the kids. As soon as I get back, we'll get on with our lives, and we'll bring Zach out here to live with us."

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," he replied, kissing her lips tenderly.

"I love you."

"I love ya too," Hank replied.

"C'mon boys. Let's head out," Loren called.

"Pa, I want to go too," Matthew spoke up from the crowd. Sully was standing beside Dorothy and Holly who were now holding the twins and feeding them. He had just been saying goodbye to his little boys, promising them that he'd bring their mama back.

"Matthew, ya gotta stay here and look after your brothers and sister."

"I wanna go with you! She's my ma!"

"I know, son, but I need ya to stay here. The boys and Colleen need ya." Matthew sighed and watched as Sully mounted his horse.

"We'll bring her back, kids," Loren promised. The men headed out and Sully took one last look at his family before he turned to face the road ahead; a road that would lead him to Michaela. He began to pray silently that Michaela was going to be alright, hoping his prayers would reach her, and she would fight to get back home.

Hours later, Michaela bent down at a nearby creek to scoop some water up into her hand. She drank the cool liquid down and it soothed her dry throat. She felt as if something or someone was telling her to hold on and fight, and she had a sudden re-birth of energy.

She didn't know where she was, but she knew she'd been walking for hours on a twisted ankle. Her broken arm was now giving out a dull ache. She winced as she moved it, and she knew that she was going to be feeling quite a bit of pain once she let herself sit down and actually focus on what was aching.

She looked around and discovered that she was nearing an abandoned shack. She hoped it was abandoned anyway, because who was she to know if anyone around these parts was working for David Luther?

She hurried as fast as she could on her sprained ankle, and found the shack was abandoned once she walked inside. There were two beds, and one of them looked like it had been slept in recently. That was when she noticed something. There was a baby's bootie on one of the beds. She rushed over to it and picked it up in her hands. It was one of Connor's booties! She held it tenderly in her hand and brought it up to brush against her cheek.

"My baby," she cried. "My baby . . ." She began to sob, and walked over to the other bed, gripping the bootie tightly in her hand. She sat down on the other bed and opened her medical bag. She placed the bootie inside to keep it safe, and she collapsed onto the bed with exhaustion. Her arm was beginning to throb painfully again, and she sucked in a sharp breath. As she breathed in, she inhaled a familiar scent. Sully! Sully had slept in that bed. "Sully, please find me. Please. I'm here. Please come back."

It was then that Michaela head a voice; a cry out.

"Millicent! Millicent! Where are ya, darlin'?!" She could hear that he was on horseback, and she knew he was looking for her.

"Oh God," she whispered. "Oh God."

After taking a detour to pick up Wolf from the homestead, the search party had started out in search of Michaela. Sully had held one of Michaela's blouses at Wolf's nose, and he had immediately picked up the scent.

After a few hours, Sully and the men stopped in a clearing to rest their horses. Wolf had lost the scent, so Sully bent down to wave the shirt in front of his nose again. When the wolf didn't pick up a scent, Sully sighed heavily and looked at Robert E.

"I stopped in a shack just past those woods last night." Robert E. swallowed hard and removed his hat to brush the sweat off of the top of his head.

"Ya think she might be 'round here?" Loren asked.

"It's a long shot," Jake replied. Sully swallowed hard. The men were right, it was a long shot.

"Hey, what's that?!" Horace asked quickly. Everyone became silent, and the sound of David Luther's cries out were heard.

"Millicent! Where are ya?!" Sully looked at the men and pulled his tomahawk into his hand.

"You fellas stay here. I'll check it out." He started off in the sound of the man's cries. The other men stood around glancing at one another.

"Maybe we should go after 'im," Horace suggested.

"Maybe we should stay here and do what Sully said to do," Hank replied. The man turned to look at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Jake wondered.

"What?"

"You ain't the same Hank ya used to be."

"Well, I guess bein' in love changes a man," Hank replied, pulling a flask from his coat and taking a sip of whatever liquor was inside of it.

As the men stood around bickering at one another, Sully was scouting for the man who's voice he'd heard. He was climbing up onto a rock to look out over the pass, and he could hear a horse approaching. Sully crouched down and watched as the rider came into view. Sure enough, it was the man who had taken Michaela.

Anger rose up inside of Sully, and he jumped down off of the rock and knocked David off of his horse. David screamed out in pain as he landed on his right leg, snapping it loudly.

"Son of a bitch!" David screamed. "Ya broke my damn leg!" Sully grabbed David by the throat and pinned him against the ground.

"That's better than what you deserve, you pathetic excuse for a human being," he said through clenched teeth. "Where is my wife?"

"You're the man who took my Millicent!" David growled.

"I don't know who Millicent is, but if you don't tell me where my wife is, I swear I'll rip your heart out." Sully began to worry himself. The anger was bubbling up so high that he was actually fearing that he might kill the man. But, he knew he needed the man alive to find Michaela.

"You know who Millicent is," David replied. "She's my Millicent. You took her from me and they told me she died in a fire."

"I'm only gonna ask you one more time."

"She wasn't your wife! She was mine!" Sully tightened his hold on David's neck. "Go on! Kill me! But you'll never get my Millicent! She'll never go back to you!" Sully let go of David and pulled his tomahawk to the man's throat.

"I'm givin' you one last chance. I'll make it quick and painless . . ."

"Sully!" Jake called from nearby. "Wolf's picked up a scent!" Sully put his tomahawk back in its rightful place on his belt and knocked David out cold. He knew the man wouldn't die, but he'd wake up with a horrible headache.

Sully rushed after the sound of Jake's voice, his heart beginning to pound. Suddenly he felt his heart skip a beat and he knew that Michaela was close. He could sense her! She was near."

"Michaela!" he called out. He saw Wolf running toward the old cabin he had stayed in last night with the boys. At that moment, he felt a bullet hit him in the back.

Sully screamed out and fell to the ground with a hard thud. Blood began to pour from the bullet wound. For a moment, he thought he had been paralyzed, but he could feel blood coming out of his side in the front. The bullet had gone through, and it hadn't hit any vital organs. But he was bleeding so profusely that he felt as if he was going to die.

"Sully!" the men ran after him as Hank went to find the shooter. He immediately came to the badly injured David, and held a shotgun on him, taking David's own gun away. He decided not to kill the man, because Sully probably wanted to take care of him by himself.

"Oh damn it," Jake whispered as he examined Sully's wound.

"Michaela!" Sully screamed out again. "She's near!"

"Where?" Loren asked. "We'll find her?"

"The cabin!" Sully cried out, pointing in that direction. "Follow wolf." Robert E., Horace, and Loren started after Wolf. Jake noticed the pool of blood forming under Sully. He rolled him around to lie on his side.

"You're lucky it didn't hit any organs. But the bad news is that I ain't got the equipment to sew you up." Sully felt his life slipping away by the moment, but he could hear Michaela screaming for him to fight in the back of his mind.

Hank walked over to kneel beside Jake as Sully passed out from the loss of blood.

"How's he doin'?" Hank asked, knowing the answer.

"I think we're gonna lose him," Jake replied quietly. "He hardly has a prayer." Wolf's barking made both Jake and Hank look up.

Robert E., Horace, and Loren were closing in around the little shack.

"Dr. Mike!" Loren called! "Dr. Mike, if you're in there, let us know!" Robert E.'s hand moved to push the door open, and all three men prepared to go inside.


	4. Edge of Death

**Chapter 4: Edge of Death**

The door to the old shack swung open, and Robert E. was the first to move inside. Horace and Loren followed closely behind. They were all three very disappointed to find that Wolf's scent had led him to the wrong place. However, Wolf scrambled inside and began to bark when he got over to one of the beds. The three men moved over to get a closer look. Horace pushed open the shutters of a window so a little sunlight could filter in. That was when they saw what Wolf had found. A dark red stain, still wet, was forming on the bed sheets. A piece of torn petticoat lay beside it.

"She was here," Horace murmured. Loren picked up the piece of cloth and held it gently in his hands. He looked down at the wolf and held the piece of fabric in front of his nose. Wolf barked gain.

"Find her, boy," Loren urged. The wolf began to sniff around, and whined at the door. Robert E. let him out and he sniffed around for a few minutes before he picked up the scent again. He barked and began to run through the woods.

"We best hurry after him!" Robert E. urged. "C'mon fellas!" The men rushed out of the shack and followed after Wolf.

Meanwhile, Michaela had made her way across the creek and was heading further into the woods. Once she had heard David's voice, she knew she had to escape before he found her and dragged her back to pose as his dead wife. She couldn't let him have that hold on her.

Michaela collapsed onto the ground and felt a stinging pain in her back and her side. She cried out, muffling her cries in her hand. She didn't want to be heard. She had run non-stop, and she was really beginning to hurt. What she had done, however, was tear off a piece of her petticoat to lay on the bed in case Sully came back to the cabin.

A moment later, she heard voices yelling, and she became frightened. She was about to pull herself up to run again when she heard Wolf's barks.

"Wolf! Here boy!" she cried out frantically. But, her voice was so strained that she wasn't even sure she could hear it herself. She began to claw at a tree, trying to pull herself up. She wanted to run back toward the shack, but she wasn't quite sure if she had gotten turned around or not. The way she thought she had come no longer looked familiar.

"Sully!" she cried out, but her voice was practically gone. She was so tired that she barely had the energy to open her mouth, but when she did, her voice wouldn't come out. She began to run toward the sounds of the barking Wolf, but soon, those barks faded, and she felt as if she was completely alone in the world.

The pain in her back continued to throb, and she suddenly got the feeling that Sully was hurt.

"Sully!" she screamed! "Sully!" Frustrated with her feeble voice, she collapsed again, and hoped that someone, anyone would find her and take her home to her family.

"She ain't here," Horace said, sighing with disappointment. Wolf had lost the scent at the creek, and the men knew they needed to get back to Jake and Hank before it started to get dark.

"Come on. We best be getting back. Jake's gonna need us." They headed back, forgetting their own petty squabble over following directions, and only focused on being able to help Jake with Sully. Sully didn't deserve that shot in the back. All he was doing was trying to find the woman he loved, his wife, the mother of his children. No man deserved to die this way for doing a good deed.

They reached Jake's side a few minutes later to find him desperately trying to stop Sully's bleeding. Hank was kneeling at Sully's other side, trying to put pressure on the exit wound.

"We gotta help him," Robert E. said quickly.

"Nothin' is gonna help him 'cept a doctor," Jake replied. "I ain't got the equipment that Dr. Mike's got. He's gonna bleed to death."

"We can't just let him die!" Loren yelled. "He's got a family!"

"Loren, there ain't nothin' I can do!" Jake replied. "You got any ideas, I'd sure as hell like to hear 'em!"

Meanwhile, Sully could feel himself slipping out his body. He felt as if he was slowly floating up and over the group of men that was surrounding him. He could see the blood leaving his body nearly as fast as his soul was. He saw how frantic everyone was, and he felt like it wasn't his time. He wanted nothing more than to get back to his body and fight for his life. He needed to fight for Michaela!

He soon found himself floating above the trees, and that's when he saw her.

"Michaela!" he called out. His own voice was foreign to him. He didn't recognize it, and he knew that nobody could hear him. "I have to fight. I'll find you!"

A moment later, Sully's eyes flew open and he knew he'd been taken back to his body.

"He's wakin' up!" Horace exclaimed.

"Come on, Sully. Hold on. We're doin' everything we can," Jake offered.

"Mi . . . Michaela," Sully sputtered. He tried to point in the direction he'd seen her, but his limbs were too weak. He couldn't move. He closed his eyes again as his spirit slipped into the corners of his mind. He was unconscious again.

"We gotta get him back to town," Loren said, shaking his head. "Hank, help me make a litter." Hank nodded, staring at Sully in shock. He couldn't believe how fast it had all happened. One moment, Sully was running to find his wife, the next he was lying on the ground dying. "Hank! Get a move on!" Hank snapped out of it and went to help Loren gather things to construct a bed to carry Sully home on.

"It ain't gonna do no good if he keeps bleedin'. We're too far from home, and he's gonna die if we don't stop the bleedin' soon. I've seen it happen before." The sound of a horse approaching quickly startled the men. Hank drew a pistol from his holster and Cloud Dancing appeared before them.

"What the hell are you doin' here?" Hank asked.

"The spirits told me you needed my help."

"Ain't nothin' you can do here." Cloud Dancing looked over to see Sully lying motionless on the ground. He quickly dismounted his horse and rushed to him. He knelt in the dirt beside his brother's bleeding body. He looked up at Jake.

"When did this happen?"

"'Bout five minutes ago."

"He will live."

"How the heck do you know that?"

"I can stop the bleeding, but I must act quickly."

"Ah, let him help, Jake," Loren grumbled, slapping Hank on the arm to get him to go back to work. Cloud Dancing pulled something from a pouch and sprinkled it on the entrance and exit of Sully's wound. He pulled needle and horsehair from another pouch.

"You hold him on his side and I will sew." Jake nodded, swallowing hard, willing to accept any help in order to avoid losing someone under his own care.

Horace and Robert E. helped Hank and Loren construct the litter, and they used rope in some of the saddlebags to tie it all together. Within twenty minutes, they had it rigged up to the strongest horse of the bunch, Sully's horse. They had also thrown an unconscious David Luther over the back of Hank's horse. They were going to take him into town, hold him, and wait for a federal marshal to come to charge him with the murder of the stagecoach drivers, attempted and possible murder of Sully, and the kidnapping of Michaela.

Cloud Dancing's stitch-work seemed to be working, and once he was done sewing, he checked Sully's pulse.

"He will live," he said quietly. "He must." Jake helped the Indian take Sully over to the litter. They put him down on it and mounted their own horses. "I will ride with you back to town. Sully will need blood."

"How do we get him blood?"

"He has lost a lot. Dr. Mike has performed something called a transfusion. I watched her do this before, and I will give my blood to save my brother. I will need the barber's help."

"Mine?" Jake asked. "I don't know how to do one of them things."

"We have no choice. If we try it, he could die, but if we don't, he _will_ die."

The moon was up now, and hunger was causing Michaela to shake. She was already shivering from the cold, and this wasn't making it any better. Her cuts had stopped bleeding, and she had somehow made her way back to the shack. The piece of her petticoat was gone, and she knew that they had gone to the shack. Her hopes were dashed, however, because she figured they wouldn't be back.

She was curled up under the ratty old blankets, coughing and clutching her growling stomach. She felt as if she hadn't eaten in weeks, which it had only been a couple of days.

Michaela could still feel a bit of pain throbbing in her back and her side, but it was easing off. She had a horrible feeling that something had happened to Sully. She could vaguely remember hearing gunshots earlier, but her memory was so hazy, and her head was clouded and dazed from hunger, worry, and fright. She knew that something terrible had happened, and whoever was out searching for her wasn't there anymore. There was no sign of David either, so she hoped they had gotten him. She also hoped he wasn't dead. Although she hated him for taking her away from her family, she felt sorry for him, because he was only grief-stricken from losing his wife in a terrible fire.

Michaela coughed and knew that if she wasn't careful, she would catch pneumonia. She had been taking quinine to help with the fever she had received while being out there. Thank God she had her medical bag with her, otherwise, she may not have survived the night before.

She had just started to drift off to sleep when she heard the howl of a wolf in the distance. For a split second, she thought it might be Wolf, so she stumbled over to the window on her sprained ankle and threw open the shutters.

"Help!" she screamed as loud as she could. Her voice had returned, but her air passages were raw and scratchy from coughing so much. It felt as if little knives were cutting into her lungs and her trachea. She didn't care though. She needed to be found. "Help me! Please!"

When silence followed her pleas, she sat down on the bed and began to cry into her hands. She swore to herself that she was setting off toward home in the morning. She was determined to find it, and if she couldn't, she decided she was going to die trying. She knew her family was waiting for her, and she knew that Sully had made it back to town with the boys. How did she know? If Sully hadn't made it back with the boys, a search party never would have thought to look for them. Everyone would have assumed that they were spending an extra few days in Denver. But, she had heard what sounded very much like Loren Bray's voice, so she was certain that Sully had gotten Connor and Daniel to safety.

As for Sully's safety, Michaela couldn't be certain of anything. However, the feeling she had in her soul at that moment told her that he wasn't doing well at all. Whether it was physically or emotionally, she couldn't be sure.

Sleep finally washed over Michaela, giving her temporary relief from her physical pain. Her emotional and mental anguish, however, bled into her dreams, and she felt as if her soul was drowning in an ocean of blood.

The townsfolk held a vigil outside of the clinic. Jake, Cloud Dancing, and Sully were inside of the clinic, while Hank and Horace reunited with their respective lady loves. Brian was sitting on Matthew's lap while Colleen held her sleeping baby brothers. Everyone was praying that Michaela was safe and that Sully would pull through, though nobody could be sure their prayers would be answered.

Mary was sitting on Horace's lap, and she hadn't let go of him since he arrived back from searching for Michaela. Holly couldn't help but feel her heart lighten a bit when she saw the man she loved with her little girl. It was obvious that Horace loved Mary and she loved him. In fact, she practically had him wrapped around her little finger. Every time she would look at him with puppy dog eyes, he'd go to the mercantile and buy her a piece of candy to cheer her up.

Brian had recently been calmed down from his tears. As soon as the men had returned to town, Hank took the prisoner, whose name they still didn't know, to the sheriff's station. Horace directly wired for a marshal, and the children had run to see their father. Sully hadn't woken up, and everyone was afraid that it was too late for him. Brian had cried for a good hour about how he had last his real ma, his real pa was bad, and now he may have lost both his new ma and new pa. Matthew and Colleen tried to tell him that everything was going to work out just right, but they weren't too sure of that themselves.

Inside of the clinic, Cloud Dancing had done all that he could remember Michaela doing. He had placed Sully on a cot next to the exam table, and he was now lying on a table that was higher up. He had found the tube Jake needed to perform the procedure. He had seen Michaela give people on the reservation blood transfusions before, but only two or three times. He hoped that this would work, because he couldn't let his brother die. Sully had to live in order to bring Michaela back to her family.

"Are ya ready for this?" Jake asked nervously, his hand shaking as he started to stick the needle into Cloud Dancing's arm.

"I have to be."

An hour later, Jake walked out of the clinic with Cloud Dancing. Everyone stood, eager for news of Sully's condition.

"He survived through the transfusion," Jake pointed out.

"Can we go see him?" Matthew asked.

"Go on. He ain't awake yet. Don't know if he's gonna wake up either." The children hurried into the clinic and Cloud Dancing began to walk away. "Wait." As the crowd began to break up, Cloud Dancing turned to look at Jake. "What you did for Sully, well, that was real decent of ya."

"He is my brother."

"Not by blood."

"He is my brother because we share a spiritual bond."

"I don't understand."

"No one expects you to," Cloud Dancing replied.

"Well, anyway, thanks for helpin' with him." Cloud Dancing nodded and walked off. "Hey, are you comin' on the search tomorrow?"

"I'll be here at dawn."

"That's when we ride."

"Then yes. I will come." Jake turned and walked back into the clinic to clean up. Holly walked in with Mary behind her.

"Mary, sweetheart, go on up to bed. I'll be up soon."

"Okay ma," Mary replied. She started up the stairs and Holly smiled at Jake.

"I see you worked things out with Horace."

"I did," Holly replied with a smile. "I wanted to thank you for all of your help."

"Are ya kiddin'? I had fun makin' him jealous." He looked away and began to rinse his hands off in a basin of water. Holly watched him, and she knew he had fallen for her. She hadn't meant for that to happen, and she needed him to know that.

"Jake, be serious."

"I am bein' serious."

"I know you have feelings for me."

"I don't."

"Look me in the eyes and say that." Jake said nothing and continued to rinse off his hands.

"Do we gotta talk about this?"

"Yes," Holly replied, crossing her arms. Jake turned to look at her.

"I ain't good with expressin' my feelin's. Do I care about ya? Yeah. But I know you and Horace wanna be together. I see that now," he replied. "Don't worry 'bout me. Just do whatever ya wanna do. Nothin's stoppin' ya."

"Well, what I want to do is be with Horace."

"Why are ya tellin' me this?"

"Because I want you to know where I stand here."

"You're makin' it pretty clear."

"I consider you a very good friend, Jake." Jake nodded and Holly decided that she was making him feel worse. She slowly turned around and walked up the stairs, hoping that Jake could find someone to make him as happy as Horace made her.

Meanwhile, upstairs, the children were sitting around Sully's bed. Matthew sat to his right, Colleen to his left, and Brian was sitting on Matthew's lap. Colleen was still holding the twins, and they were starting to fuss.

"Shh, it's okay," she whispered, rocking them both in her arms. "Pa will wake up any minute now. It's gonna be okay."

"Ya can't die, pa," Brian whispered. "Please wake up."

"We need you," Matthew added. "Ma needs you. Ya gotta get well." The night wore on, and the Sully children stayed at their father's bedside, hoping that a miracle would bring him back to them and help him bring their ma home.


	5. The Nearness of You

**Chapter 5: The Nearness of You**

Sully hadn't woken up yet, but it was after midnight and all of the children were asleep. They had pulled cots into the room, and Matthew had carried in the cradle so the twins could be nearby. Colleen swore to wake up with them and feed them if Matthew would help her.

Sully was unconscious, but his subconscious was working full force. He was dreaming, and his soul seemed to be searching for Michaela's. Little did he know that she was shivering and unconscious in that little shelter in the woods.

His dream took him to the woods outside of the shack. It was surrounded by fog, and Sully sensed that he should go inside. He held his hand out to touch the wooden door, and he could sense that Michaela was inside.

"Michaela," he called out. He opened the door and walked in. He saw her curled up on the bed. He found a lantern and a match to light it. He slowly walked across the room to his wife. He knelt next to the bed and reached out to caress Michaela's pale skin. Michaela opened her eyes to find her husband staring at her. She sat up quickly, not feeling any pain.

"Sully!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He felt no pain, but she could see the bandages on him. "What happened?"

"I was shot," he replied. "I'm alright. They fixed me up real good."

"Oh Sully, I've missed you so much."

"You're safe now."

"Am I dreaming?"

"I think we both are," he whispered, capturing her lips with his own.

"I don't want it to end. I want to be home with you and the children." Michaela broke down and Sully pulled her into his arms.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No," Michaela whispered. "I got away. He never intended to hurt me."

"We'll figure all of this out later. Michaela, the spirits have brought us together in our dreams, and I need you to stay here for me. I'm coming to look for you as soon as I wake up."

"Sully, you're hurt."

"I don't care. Finding you will be worth the pain."

"I'll stay here," she whispered. Sully and Michaela both seemed to fade away from one another.

Michaela woke in a cold sweat. Sully had come to her in her dreams. She knew he was alive now. She knew he was going to come find her. Now all she had to do was wait for him to come for her.

She pulled the blanket around her and felt a chill coming into the room. She stood and walked over to shut the window shutters. She looked up at the moon and could tell that it was about midnight. Tears flooded her eyes as she thought of Sully and how his arms felt around her in her dreams. She longed to feel his touch again, and she couldn't wait to be in the comfort of her own home again.

As she looked up at the moon, she thought back to the time she and Sully told each other they loved each other for the first time. Tears flooded her eyes and broke the barriers to cascade down her bruised cheek.

Michaela gasped, swallowing hard as she thought about how she had nearly lost him before she ever got to tell him she loved him. God, she had come so close to losing him forever.

_"I just, uh, I just wanted to say thank you for takin' good care of my friend. He's like a brother to me."_

_"It was no trouble. I'm glad you brought him here." Sully nodded and he swallowed hard. He saw a look of nervousness in Michaela's eyes and he knew he couldn't say it. She was far too beautiful and sweet to want to be with him. She was from the other side of the continent; raised in a completely different way. She could never want a life with him. "Sully? What's the matter? You look like you have something on your mind."_

_"No," Sully replied quickly. "I think it's best that me and Cloud Dancin' head out now."_

_"So early? Won't you stay for lunch?" She was desperate. She needed him to stay. Sully looked at her, wanting to say he could stay forever, but he knew that wasn't possible. He could never accept Boston, and Boston could never accept him. _

_"We can't. We gotta go now." He went to wake Cloud Dancing. Michaela was devastated. She needed to tell Sully, but she could tell that something was holding him back from telling her his true feelings. Maybe Sully didn't feel anything for her after all. Maybe he was afraid that she had feelings that he just couldn't express. Maybe it was better for the both of them if he did leave._

_A few minutes later, Cloud Dancing appeared from his room with Sully behind him. He walked over to Michaela._

_"I appreciate everything you've done for me. Haho."_

_"Haho," Dr. Mike repeated, not quite knowing what the word was. But she knew it had to be something good. Cloud Dancing smiled and left the room. Sully looked at Michaela once before he started for the door. Something inside of Michaela made her speak out. "Wait!" Sully froze with his hand on the doorknob, not knowing what to do next or what he was going to hear next. "Don't go."_

_Sully turned to look at Michaela. She was standing at the desk with tears in her eyes. Sully's heart started to break for her. He didn't want to leave her, and he was relieved to hear her tell him not to go. Sully walked over to her and he took her hands in his._

_"Don't go?" he asked. She looked hopefully into his eyes. "Give me a reason to stay."_

_"Sully, I've never done this before," she replied gently. She wanted to say the words; tell him she loved him, but she was afraid of what it would mean for her and for him._

She couldn't believe how foolish she had been. It was hard to believe that the encounter she was remembering had just been a little over a year ago. Michaela felt as if she had known Sully all of her life, and it was becoming difficult to remember what life was like before he came into her world. She was so very glad that she had made a bold move to go after Sully that afternoon. She realized that she could have lost him forever if fate hadn't decided for them to find each other at the train station. There had been a possibility of them never finding each other, and of her going back to Boston, never knowing the kind of love Sully had to give.

_Michaela could hear something in the distance, but she could barely make out anything through the mass of people that surrounded her. But something inside of her told her she had to turn around._

_As if in a slow-motion moment, Michaela turned and saw a brief glimpse of Sully on the other side of the sea of people that separated them. Her heart nearly stopped beating, and she could barely believe her eyes. But that sensation quickly left and was replaced with tears of joy. She started to run toward him, trying not to trample anyone in the process. She couldn't let Sully get away this time. _

_Sully saw the look of joy on her face, and he knew this was right. She was the love of his life, and he was the love of hers. _

_"Sully!" she exclaimed with utter astonishment. Sully began to make his way through the crowd to get closer to her. As soon as a barrier broke, they were feet away from each other. They stood; staring in amazement that they were in the same place together when they had worried they would never see each other again._

_A few seconds passed and the tears in Michaela's eyes broke their dam and flowed freely._

_"It's really you," she whispered._

_"I didn't think I was gonna see you again. But I'm sure glad you're here."_

_"You wanted me to give you a reason to stay in Boston." Sully swallowed hard and nodded. "I can't do that because I know you don't belong in Boston. But neither do I. I don't belong there anymore. I wasn't cut out for the life my mother wanted for me. I couldn't even attempt to have that kind of a life. I need to be a doctor and I need to see the world. I need to treat patients who need me. But most of all, I need to let the man I love know how I feel about him before I let him get away again." Hope filled Sully's heart and they both smiled. He pulled her into his arms and twirled her around, raising her up a little. He kissed her softly but passionately, letting her know his feelings. "I love you, Sully. I know we've known each other for three days, but I feel like I have known you forever. What I don't know about you, I'd like to learn. I just want to be with you."_

_"And I want to be with you," Sully whispered, kissing her again. "I want to show you my world if you'll let me."_

She sat down on the bed and pulled her hand up to her locket. Sully's heartsong necklace kept her going; thinking of him all the way. As long as she had Sully's locket next to her hear, she knew that he was going to keep her going. It was as if that necklace had given them a link to each other's souls, an all-access pass whenever they needed one another but were apart.

The sudden realization of Sully's wounds from her dream made Michaela think. She seemed to be feeling a phantom pain in the areas that Sully was wounded. Perhaps they really could feel each other's pain when they were apart.

That realization made Michaela positive that Sully was her true soul mate. In some ways they shared the same soul, and although they had differing opinions sometimes, they seemed to be traveling the same path. Yes, Michaela and Sully were true soul mates.

Sully's eyes fluttered open just before dawn the next morning. He saw that the children were all sleeping, and he realized that it was probably better this way. If they woke before he left, they'd only advise him not to go. But he had to ride with the men. He had to find his heartsong.

The dream he had had the night before told him she was still in the little shack. He had to get back there and bring her home before something else happened to keep them apart longer.

He crept out of bed and scribbled out a note for the kids. He bit back a gasp of pain, and crept out of the room, shutting the door behind him. His belt and tomahawk were lying on a table downstairs, so he slowly strapped that onto his waist. He groaned in pain and looked down to see that his stitches were still intact. There was no blood on the fresh bandages, luckily, so he figured he could get through the day as long as he had Michaela's face to look forward to.

Sully walked out of the clinic to find Hank, Jake, Loren, Robert E., and Horace saddling up. Cloud Dancing was also there, already mounted on his horse. Horace looked over to see Sully walking over toward them. Sully whistled for Wolf, who had slept on the porch that night. The wolf obeyed and followed behind his master.

"Hey fellas, it's Sully."

"What are ya doin' out here?" Jake asked.

"I'm goin'," Sully replied. "I know where she is."

"Well, tell us and we'll go and get her."

"No!" Sully hissed under his breath. "I'm goin'."

"You ain't in no condition," Loren spoke up.

"I need to find my wife, and it ain't gonna do me any good sittin' 'round here waiting for you all to bring her back. I'm goin'. She needs me."

"Sully, maybe you should think about this," Robert E. suggested.

"There's nothin' to think about. I'm goin'." Sully started to climb up onto a horse and gasped in pain. He felt a boost behind him and landed on top of the horse with Hank's help. "Thanks."

"I just figured if a man wants to be with his wife, he'd do anything to be with her."

"Would you do the same for Myra?"

"Yeah," Hank replied without hesitation.

"She's lucky then," Sully replied. "Are we ridin'?" Sully started off out of town with Wolf following behind. Cloud Dancing rode off after his brother, and the other men stared at each other before mounting their own horses and following behind.

After a few hours, Sully looked at Cloud Dancing who had been silent during their journey.

"I thought I was gonna die."

"You almost did. I told the barber how Dr. Mike did the blood transfusions."

"Who gave their blood?"  
"I did," Cloud Dancing admitted. Sully patted his friend's arm gratefully.

"I guess now . . . we're blood brothers." Cloud Dancing smiled and nodded.

"Yes," he agreed.

"Hey Sully? Ain't we getting close to that shack?" Sully stopped his horse and looked around. He recognized his surroundings.

"Yeah. You stay here. I'll go get her."

"Are ya sure she's gonna be there?" Horace asked skeptically. Sully turned to him.

"I had a dream last night."

"The spirits came to you," Cloud Dancing spoke out.

"Yes," Sully said with a nod. "Michaela and I met in our dreams. She told me she would wait here for me."  
"But we've done checked the shack."

"Well we're gonna check again!" Sully barked at Hank. "Look, you all stay here. I'm gonna go get her. I'll bring her back, and we'll go back to town." Sully dismounted his horse and rushed off toward the shack with Wolf at his heels. The pain from his gunshot wound was throbbing, but that didn't matter. Above all the pain, he was pushing on to find his heartsong.

After a moment of being left alone, the men decided they should follow Sully. They didn't want him passing out or something. Sully could hear the men behind him, and he felt better knowing they were concerned.

Sully saw the shack coming up close, and he began to call out.

"Michaela!"

"Dr. Mike!" the other men called out, with the exception of Hank who also called her Michaela.

"Michaela!" Sully repeated. He rushed to throw the door open. His heart nearly dropped when he founded the cabin utterly deserted. He pounded his fist into the wall. She couldn't be gone! They had met each other in their dreams. She had promised to wait on him! No! She had to be there. She had to be.

"Sully, I'm sorry," Loren said quietly, putting his hand on his ex-son-in-law's shoulder. Sully shrank away from him.

"Something musta happened."

"Sully, you should rest," Cloud Dancing warned.

"You all stay here. I'm gonna go look for her. Maybe she went to get some water. Somebody go find food and build a fire. I'll bring her back."

"She could be miles from here," Jake said quietly.

"She's close! I can feel her," Sully replied. He swallowed hard and rushed out of the cabin.

"We should go after him," Robert E. said, shaking his head.

"No. We'll stay. I'll hunt." Cloud Dancing left the cabin and watched his friend hurry off through the trees.

Sully hurried along, and felt like his heart was going to burst. He was panicking, and he knew it wasn't going to do him any good.

"Michaela!" he screamed as he ran through the woods like a madman. "Michaela, where are you?!" He knelt down and held a piece of Michaela's blouse in front of Wolf's nose. The wolf immediately picked up a scent and started off in another direction. Sully followed, hoping that the worst hadn't happened.

Michaela was sitting on the ledge of a cliff, clutching the blanket, which still had Sully's scent in it. She had left the small shack when a mountain lion approached. She had ran through the forest with her throbbing sprained ankle hurting all along the way. She hoped to God that Sully would find her.

The barks of a wolf startled her, and she pulled herself back into the walls of a very shallow cave. It was only small enough to protect a couple of people, much like the lean-to.

As the barks grew nearer, Michaela knew it was Wolf. She took a deep breath and whistled.

"Wolf! Here boy! Wolf! Over here!" A moment later, the gray and white companion of her husband hurried up to find her. As soon as he found her, he began to lick at the cuts on her face. She pulled her arms around him and her hands clung to his fur. "Oh thank God."

"Michaela!" She heard his voice and her eyes filled with tears.

"Sully!" she screamed desperately. Wolf let out a bark, and Sully began to climb up the ledge. A moment later, he found his wife sitting with her arms wrapped securely around Wolf. She let go of him as soon as she saw Sully.

"Oh my God," Sully whispered when he saw his wife. She looked just like in his dream, but the cuts, dirt, and bruises seemed to be bothering her a lot more than they did in the dream. "It's really you."

"Am I dreaming?"

"Not this time," Sully whispered. "I told you I'd come for you."

"You had the same dream?" Michaela whispered. Sully slowly walked over to his wife and sat down beside her. He pulled her into his arms and she clutched him tightly. He hissed in pain, feeling his wounds begin to throb. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She burst into tears and let go. Sully took her and held her close, rocking her in his arms as she began to sob uncontrollably.

"Shh . . . it's alright, Michaela. You're safe now. You're safe."


	6. Reunited

**Chapter 6: Reunited**

Sully held onto Michaela, not wanting to let her go. She was crying on his shoulder, worn out from the past few days. Sully wanted nothing more than to tell her to sleep it off, but he also wanted to spend every waking moment of her, cherishing their reunion; cherishing her. He was rocking her back and forth, and felt the urge to pinch himself to make sure he really was awake. When Michaela pulled away from Sully, she looked up into his eyes. Her fingers traced over his lips and he leaned in to kiss her lovingly.

"Sully, you came to me in a dream last night," she whispered. "I meant to stay at the cabin. You told me to in the dream."

"I know," he replied. "I had the same dream. You were sleeping in that bed and I knelt at your side."

"Yes," Michaela whispered softly. "Oh Sully, I can't believe you're really here. I can't believe I'm in your arms."

"Tell me what happened," he whispered. "I need to know." Michaela nodded.

"His name is David Luther. He killed the stagecoach drivers and took me away from you, because he thought you had kidnapped me. He was grief-stricken, Sully. He thought I was his late wife."

"Millicent."

"Yes," Michaela replied gently. "She apparently died in a horrible fire, and he didn't want to believe it."

"He didn't hurt you?"

"No," she replied. "He wouldn't have. He really believed I was his wife."

"He's in town now," Sully replied.

"Did he shoot you?" Michaela asked, her fingers lightly touching Sully's bandages.

"Yeah," he replied. "I broke his leg when I knocked him off his horse. He shot me in return."

"Sully, thank God you're alright." She dried the tears from her eyes. "If I'd have lost you, I couldn't have lived."

"You could have."

"No Sully. I know now that we're soul mates; kindred spirits. This locket kept me going these past few days. We came to one another in a dream. Sully, I've felt your pain."  
"What?"

"The places you've been hurt, I was hurting there too while you were away. Now that you're here, it's like we're complete. I don't feel it anymore." Sully noticed the sling on Michaela's arm.

"You broke your arm."

"Yes," Michaela replied with a slight nod.

"My arm's been hurtin' me lately too. Now that ya mention it, it ain't hurtin' anymore." Sully kissed her hand. "You're right though. We are meant to walk the same path." He hugged her again, and felt pain in his back. He winced although he was trying to be strong for Michaela.

"Sully, let me take a look at your wound."

"No, no. It's alright. I'm here for you right now. What do you need?"

"I need you to let me look at that wound. Please? I have my medical bag with me." Sully chuckled a little at the fact that even though Michaela had been lost in the woods and injured for days, she had managed to hold onto her medical bag. Sully nodded and let Michaela unwrap his bandage enough to look at the entrance and exit wounds. She pulled a small bottle out of her bag and dabbed some antiseptic onto it. When she was done, she tied the bandages back in place.

"Who sewed you up?"

"Well, Cloud Dancin' did that. Jake had to perform a blood transfusion."

"What?!" Michaela asked in shock, her eyes growing wide.

"Yeah. Cloud Dancin' told him he'd seen ya do a few at the reservation, and he talked Jake through it."

"My God," Michaela whispered. "Remind me to thank Jake later. He helped save your life."

"Yeah, I feel like I owe him." Sully replied.

"So do I." Michaela sighed heavily and Sully put his hand on her cheek. "How are the children?"

"They're fine."

"The boys. They must be hungry."

"Don't you worry. They're bein' taken care of. You must be starvin' though. The fellas are back at the shack. They should be cookin' dinner about right now."

"Dinner sounds nice," Michaela whispered.

"I'll go make sure the path's cleared before I bring ya down, alright?"

"I can walk," Michaela replied.

"Ya sure? That ankle looks pretty swollen."

"Well, I suppose I can't really walk much on it right now. I should rest it. But you can't carry me down. Sully, perhaps we should stay up here until the morning."

"I'll have to go tell the fellas." He winced in pain and Michaela put her hand on his arm.

"Please don't leave me," she whispered. He looked into her pleading eyes and leaned in to kiss her trembling lips. "I'll be back in a minute. I just need to . . ." She broke down into tears again, obviously exhausted and emotionally strained from the events of the last few days. "It's alright. I won't leave if ya don't want me to. But there's water just below us, and I thought I'd go down and get some for us. I'm feelin' pretty thirsty. I don't know 'bout you." Michaela nodded.

"Okay." Sully gave her a reassuring kiss, not wanting to leave. He never wanted to be apart from her again, but he knew now that she was safe and that their forced separation was over.

"Did ya get the food set out there like we told ya?" Jake asked as Horace walked into the shack. The men were sitting down with their food for the evening. Cloud Dancing had managed to scrounge up a little something with his limited hunting equipment. With what he had managed to catch, Robert E. had prepared, because Jake, Loren, Hank, and Horace couldn't cook for beans.

"Yep," Horace replied with a smile. The men had had Horace track Sully, and he had soon found him with Michaela up on a cliff. He had silently gone back to the shack to report that Sully had indeed reunited with his wife. Cloud Dancing had prepared some pheasant for the newly reunited couple, and he had wrapped it in a handkerchief from one of the saddlebags. He had packed enough to feed them until the morning, and they had sent Horace to place it under the ledge for them to find. "Did ya save me anything to eat?"

"Nope. Hank ate your helpin'," Loren replied with a smirk.

"Hank!"

"Did not," Hank lied.

"You can share mine," Cloud Dancing offered, handing Horace a portion of his food.

"Thanks," Horace mumbled, accepting the food and scowling at Hank.

"What? It was getting cold," Hank replied, defending himself.

"Sure it was," Horace grumbled.

"Ah, come on, let's just finish eatin' and try to get some sleep."

"Who the hell can sleep when ya got them damn coyotes howlin' out there?" Jake asked. "They don't bother me much in town, but out here, they're liable to keep me up all night." He looked at Cloud Dancing. "Guess you're right at home." Cloud Dancing ignored Jake and put his food aside.

"Jake, why don't ya get some sleep?" Loren asked. "You're getting awful grumpy."

"Grumpy? Look who's talkin'," Jake snapped.

"Fellas, why don't ya both knock it off?" Robert E. suggested.

"Oh, and who's gonna make me?"

"I'll shut all of ya up if ya don't quit yappin'," Hank threatened. All of the men were tired from the last two days, and they were all going to be sure spend at least a day away from one another once they got back to town.

"First thing tomorrow, we'll pack up and head to town," Jake replied, taking control of the group.

"What makes you the leader?" Horace asked curiously.

"Nobody else is steppin' in to lead us." The other men exchanged glances and shook their heads. They hated when Jake volunteered himself to lead the group. He always ended up being completely irrational and getting them lost. Even though it was still fairly early in the afternoon, they all decided to get some sleep, because they were in for a long trip back in the morning.

Sully reappeared a few minutes later with a full canteen of water. Michaela was surprised to see the canteen, a few blankets, and a full handkerchief in his hands. He sat down next to her and handed her the canteen. She held it in her lap and unscrewed the cap using the strength of her good arm. She took a drink, and the cold water felt wonderful against her hoarse and scratch throat. She pulled the canteen away from her lips and glanced at Sully.

"What's all of this?"

"Apparently the fellas tracked me here. They left us a canteen, some food, and some blankets from the saddlebags.

"They probably figured we wouldn't be in much of a hurry to move around too much," Michaela replied quietly, looking at Sully's bandages with worry in her eyes.

"What?"

"As soon as we get home, I want to make sure those stitches are holding well."

"They ain't broken yet."

"I know. I'm just worried about you."

"Well, don't worry. I'm fine." He kissed her softly and watched as she took a drink of the water. She handed him a canteen and he took a sip while she opened up the handkerchief and began to nibble at the food in front of her. She wanted to shove it all in her mouth and eat it hungrily, but she knew that if she did that, she'd only make herself sick.

"Well, I think your petticoat is about shot. I'll buy ya a new one once we get home." He tore off a piece of it and soaked it in water. He began to gently dab at the healing cuts on her face. Michaela smiled and closed her eyes as Sully took care of her. He was so gentle, and she knew that they were going to have to look after one another and take care of each other while they were both healing.

After he had wiped the dirt and dried blood from her face, he moved to wash off her arms. Michaela smiled at Sully as he did so. She knew that she would get to do the same for him next. She was so happy to be back in his presence that she was willing to do anything to keep herself and her husband healthy and safe. She was going to take care of him, even if he didn't want her to strain herself. He had been through a lot too.

"Thank you for taking care of me," Michaela whispered once Sully finished. She tore another piece off of her petticoat and soaked it in water. She spread a blanket out with her good arm. "Lay down."  
"What?"

"Just lay down. I want to take care of you," she whispered. Sully laid down on his side as to not put any strain on his wounds. Michaela began to tenderly wash his face, neck, and arms. She opened his shirt a little and wiped at his chest. She bit her lip and couldn't believe the feelings she was having at this particular time. It didn't seen like it was the appropriate time to be teasing her husband like this. After all, they had both just suffered through terrible ordeals. But, in the end, what it came down to was that they'd do anything to be together, and here they were, reunited. "Feel better?"

"Yeah," he replied, his hand caressing her cheek. His finger touched a bruise gently. "Does it still hurt?"  
"No," she whispered. "It looks more painful than it really is." Sully sat up slowly and Michaela handed him some of the food from the handkerchief. They ate in complete silence, not being able to keep their eyes off of one another. Once they were finished, Sully sat out another blanket for Michaela to lie upon. Although they were both tired, neither of them wanted to fall asleep. They wanted to spend every waking moment with one another.

Sully lay down on the blanket again and Michaela scooted her blanket up beside his. She lay down on her left side as to keep her right arm comfortable. She rested her head on Sully's chest, and his arm massaged her back through her now-ratty dress.

"I still can't believe you're here in my arms."

"I had faith that you'd find me."

"To tell ya the truth, I was startin' to lose hope after awhile."

"Well, we're together now."

"I ain't ever gonna lose you again," Sully replied, squeezing Michaela's shoulder and then rubbing it softly.

In town, the sun was setting, and the Sully children were running about Sully's room upstairs, trying to calm down the crying twins. They had woke shortly after Sully left, and they were very worried about their pa. But after finding his note, they understood that he felt he had to go after Michaela.

Once the children had calmed to the fact that their pa had gone back out into the wilderness, despite his obvious wounds, they focused on taking care of one another, which was proving to be a little more difficult. Myra wasn't available because she had gone home. Grace was staying at Myra's house with her so neither one of them would be alone while the men were out searching for Michaela. Dorothy wasn't available, because she was working on improving her skills as a writer, trying to print out a gazette for the townsfolk. Holly was caring for Mary, who had had a nightmare, so the children were pretty much on their own with the twins. Matthew was sitting on the bed with Daniel in his arms, trying to feed him with a make-shift bottle. Colleen was rocking Connor back and forth as she paced the room, trying to get him to go to sleep after his bottle. Brian was sitting in a chair with his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sounds of his brothers' very loud cries.

"Colleen, he ain't hungry!"

"Yeah he is, he just ain't takin' the bottle from you."

"Well, what's wrong with Connor? Did ya burp him?"

"Yes. I already burped him. He just misses ma and pa!"

"Let me try!" Brian offered with a sigh of exasperation.

"You're not old enough, Brian."

"Sure I am. I'm nine," he replied.

"It's worth a shot," Colleen said with a shrug. Matthew groaned and walked over to place Daniel in Brian's arms. Brian took the bottle and put it to Daniel's lips.

"Shh. Stop cryin', Daniel. It's alright." He bounced the baby in his arms a little bit, and Daniel finally gave up and accepted the bottle into his mouth. "See. It ain't that hard." Daniel began to eat and Brian looked up proudly at his brother and sister. Connor was still screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I'm gonna go downstairs and get some more diapers. They should be dry by now. Take Connor." Colleen placed Connor into Matthew's arms and hurried downstairs to get some temporarily relief for her ears and her nerves.

"I sure hope ma and pa get home soon," Matthew mumbled as he rocked the seemingly inconsolable Connor.

"Ya think he found her yet?" Matthew swallowed hard at Brian's question. He didn't want to put false hopes in to his head, but he also knew that Brian would be devastated if he knew his brother was even more worried than him.

"I bet they're on their way home right now."

"What if they aren't?"  
"Then they're probably resting until mornin'. Don't worry, little brother. They'll be home soon."

"Promise?" Brian asked. Matthew swallowed hard, tears forming in his own eyes.

"Promise," he whispered. The Sully children continued to care for their little brothers for the rest of the evening, hoping that things wouldn't be like this for long. They wanted their mother and father back as soon as possible. They missed them, and they knew things would get back to normal as soon as they returned. Or so they thought.

Michaela woke screaming in Sully's arms at around ten at night. Sully jolted awake and sat up quickly, causing his stitches to rip a little. He yelled out and tenderly reached down to touch Michaela's shoulder. She sat up quickly as tears began to flow from her eyes.

"Sully!" she called out.

"Shh. It's alright. I'm here. I'm here!" Michaela focused her eyes on her husband, and she realized that she was in fact safe.

"Oh God. Sully," she panted. "I had a dream that I was still in that stagecoach, and I was trying to claw my way out."

"It was just a dream, Michaela. Don't worry. Nothin' like that is ever gonna happen to you again. I won't let it." Michaela sucked in a deep breath and dried her tears. "C'mere." Sully pulled her close and kissed her lips, kissing away her fears. Michaela sighed into his mouth, and he pulled away to stare into her eyes.

"I love you," Michaela whispered.

"I love you too." Sully winced in pain a little, and Michaela looked down in the pale moonlight to see red seeping through his bandages.

"Oh, Sully, you're bleeding," she whispered. Sully groaned and leaned back. Michaela slowly removed the bandages and pulled her medical bag around. "I have to re-stitch this. I'm sorry I don't have anything to give you for the pain."

"It's alright. As long as you're here, I can take the pain."


	7. Calm After the Storm

**Chapter 7: Calm After the Storm**

December was finally in progress, and a good six inches of snow covered the grounds of Colorado Springs. Things had returned to normal, or at least as normal as they could be. The Sully family was reunited, and Sully had made nearly a full recovery. His stitches were out, but he still felt a little pain from time to time. Michaela's arm was nearly completely healed, but she was going to be keeping her arm in a sling for the next two weeks.

The children were happy to have their parents back, and now that Christmas was drawing near, so was Michaela and Sully's first anniversary. But with their anniversary drawing near, so was the anniversary of Charlotte Cooper's death. She had died in early January, and Michael and Sully knew that the holidays would never be the same for any of them. But, as time would wear on, they were sure that things would improve.

Colleen was downstairs fixing breakfast when Brian hurried down the stairs with his schoolbooks. Sully was sitting at the kitchen table with Connor in his arms. Connor was wide-awake and focused on the eggs that his father was eating. The boy had just been fed by his mother, who was upstairs soaking in a hot bath. Daniel was sleeping in his cradle beside the fireplace. Matthew was watching after him while studying for a history test.

"Brian, you're late getting down for breakfast," Sully pointed out.

"Sorry pa," Brian replied. "I was up studyin' late."

"I noticed you were burnin' the midnight oil. Try not to stay up so late next time. Make time for studyin' a little earlier in the day."  
"I'll try," the tired nine-year-old replied. Colleen reached over to put some eggs on Brian's plate. He poured himself a glass of milk and ate his breakfast hungrily. Connor began to fuss, and Sully put down his fork and picked the boy up. He held him up over his head and leaned back. He played this game with both of the boys, and pretended that they were flying. Of course they were a bit too young to move around a lot, but he liked to hold them up so they could look down at him.

"What are ya fussin' about, Connor?" Sully asked. Connor cooed and Sully grinned at his boy. Sully loved spending these quiet mornings with the children while Michaela was upstairs getting ready to the day. Something about it made his heart swell with pride.

"We'll take our wagon into town," Matthew replied, referring to the wagon the children had kept when Charlotte died. Having two wagons proved to be very helpful on days when Michaela was running slow. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and Sully couldn't blame her because she was functioning with one good arm and one broken one.

"I'm ready," Brian said, shoving the rest of his eggs into his mouth. He swallowed them down by drinking his entire glass of milk in less than thirty seconds. Colleen grabbed her coat and Matthew helped her into it. The boys grabbed their coats and hurried toward the door.

"Be careful," Sully called after them.

"Bye, pa!" they responded. Sully was left alone downstairs with a squirming Connor and a sleeping Daniel.

"Alright, Connor. I'm gonna put you down in your cradle. Ya gotta go to sleep for me, 'cause I'm gonna go check on mama." He put Connor down in his cradle and patted Wolf's head. Pup was curled up in front of the fire while Wolf watched over him like a big brother. "C'mon, boys. Time to go outside." Sully walked over to the door and as soon as he opened it and whistled, Pup's ears perked up and he and Wolf ran out to frolic until Sully called them back in.

Sully started up the stairs, and he could hear Michaela walking into their bedroom and shutting the door. When he walked in, she was sitting at her vanity mirror with her wet hair hanging down her back. She was putting her corset on.

"Sully? Will you help me?" Michaela asked. She looked so pitiful trying to put a corset on with one good arm. Pitiful but beautiful. Sully shook his head.

"Why do ya wear this? Ya don't need it. You ain't fat."

"I wear it because I've been wearing corsets all of my life."

"Do ya really need it?" Sully slipped the corset off of his wife and put his hand against her flat stomach. "See. Ya ain't fat." Michaela sighed and smiled up at her husband.

"I suppose not," she replied. "I suppose it would cut about ten minutes out of getting ready in the morning." Sully smiled, loving how Michaela weighed the pros and cons of every decision.

He brought her dress over to her and helped her slip into it. She turned around so he could do up the buttons in the front.

"Thank you," Michaela whispered, giving him a kiss on the lips as a reward.

"Maybe I should help ya get dressed more often," Sully replied, raising an eyebrow. Michaela laughed and turned back toward her mirror. She took her brush and began to comb out her long, wet locks. "Here, let me." He took the brush from her and began to delicately run it through her golden brown hair. He noticed how very dark her hair became when it was wet, and he loved the way the sunlight flickered on it, making it seem as if her hair was made of gold. As he brushed her hair, his eyes stared into the mirror, locking on the reflection of her gaze. He bent down and began to nibble at the nape of her neck. Michaela closed her eyes as his lips and tongue moved over it. As he worked, he could smell the scent of her soap. Michaela moaned as Sully's hand dropped the brush and moved around to graze against the side of her breast.

They hadn't been intimate since they were in Denver. One reason was because the children were always coming and going, helping their parents with chores while they were healing. Another reason was because they had been so tired and sore from what had happened. But now that they were alone, except for the sleeping infants downstairs, the longing for intimacy had gotten the best of them.

Michaela broke away from their kiss, and she was nearly breathless. She wanted nothing more than to be able to spend a little time with her husband, but she knew she had an appointment with Grace, who was due to have her baby in about four months. She had to be in town within a half hour.

"What's the matter?"

"I nearly forgot," Michaela sighed. "I've got an appointment with Grace this morning. I can't keep her waiting. You know how worried she is about this pregnancy."

"Yeah," Sully replied. "Maybe the kids can stay in town tonight."

"Sully, we can't just cart them off to town every time we want some privacy."

"I know," Sully replied. "I ain't suggestin' that. I'm just sayin' that it'd be nice to be able to spend some time alone with ya."

"I know," Michaela replied. "Alone time sounds very nice right now, but I have to keep my appointment with Grace. I'm trying to get back into my full-day schedule. I haven't had much time for that since the babies and . . . and everything." Sully nodded and kissed Michaela again.

"I just hate bein' away from ya all the time."

"I know," Michaela replied. "But David's been sent away, and we won't have to see him again. I'm in no danger, I can assure you." Sully nodded slowly.

"I still worry 'bout ya." Michaela turned back to the mirror as Sully picked the brush up and finished brushing his wife's hair.

Once he and Michaela had returned with the search party, Michaela had immediately gone to confront David. He had a badly broken leg, which she set for him. She couldn't hate him completely, because she knew he wasn't mentally well, but she still had chills every time she thought of him. When she had gone to confront him, he thought she was Millicent, once again. A marshal had come to take him away, and the last Michaela and Sully knew, he was being sent to prison on two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and one count of kidnapping.

The entire ordeal had sparked Michaela's curiosity, however, and she had wired to Denver for newspapers over the past year. She wanted to learn more about Millicent Luther. She wanted to know what kind of woman she was to make a man so desperate to have her back after her death. She hadn't received those papers yet, but she was expecting them any day.

Once Sully was finished brushing Michaela's hair, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and stepped away to admire her beauty. She stood and turned around to face him, love glowing so obviously from her eyes. He noticed the necklace around his wife's neck.

"You're still wearin' the locket."

"Yes. It got me through a horrible ordeal, and I intend to wear it for the rest of my life." She touched the locket with a delicate grace and smiled at her husband.

"What it says is true, Michaela. You are my heartsong, forever and always."

"I know," Michaela whispered, as Sully pulled her into his arms. "And you're mine." Their lips met in a kiss, and one of the babies began to cry. Michaela sighed against Sully's lips, and pulled away. "That's Daniel. Come on. Let's go get the boys ready." Sully nodded and took Michaela's hand. They started down the stairs and Sully picked up his crying son into his arms.

"Shh, Daniel, it's alright," he whispered. Michaela reached out to stroke the soft brown hair atop her baby's head.

"Maybe you should sing to him."

"Sing? No," Sully replied quickly. Michaela grinned.

"Why not?" she chuckled. "I bet you're a fine singer." Sully laughed sarcastically.

"Um, no. I've never sang for anyone before, so I don't intend to start now."

"Not even for your only son?" She made a pitiful face. "For me?"

"Maybe some other time," Sully replied, shaking his head. Michaela laughed.

"Oh, come on." Daniel finally stopped crying a moment later, his wails diminishing into little hiccups.

"See, he stopped cryin' so he wouldn't have to hear his pa sing." Michael laughed and took Daniel into her arm, cradling him closely to her body. Daniel's head eventually lolled back in the crook of her arm and he fell asleep. Michaela bent down and put him down in his cradle.

"I'll go hitch up the wagon," Sully offered. Michaela nodded. As Sully went out to the barn, Michaela slowly but surely put booties on the boy's feet and wrapped them in thick baby quilts. Doing so with one good arm was difficult! But once they were ready to go, she waited for Sully so he could help her carry them out to the wagon. She sat down in a chair to wait for him, and her fingers traveled back up to the locket. To Michaela, that locket symbolized everything she had accomplished since she moved to Colorado Springs. She had acquired respect, or as much as she could expect to acquire, friends, a wonderful husband, three great children, and she had given birth to the two most beautiful babies she had ever set her sights upon.

She knew that as long as she had her family and her husband, things could never be too bad. Her family was what kept her going when she thought she'd never find her way home. Her hand would always move to that locket when she was missing them. It was as if the locket acted as her own personal north star. It reminded her of the love of her husband; of her family. It helped her focus, but it didn't lead her to Sully. It lead Sully to her.

Sully walked in, brushing a few flakes of snow off of his coat. Michaela smiled at him.

"Ya ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes." She picked up Connor and cradled him in her arm while she held onto her medical bag with her slinged arm. Sully picked up Daniel, and they carried the bundled up babes out to the wagon and started off toward town.

"Everything is wonderful, Grace. Your baby's heartbeat is strong, and you are both very healthy."

"So you're sure everything's fine?" Robert E. asked nervously as he paced the floor behind the exam table as Grace sat there starting at him.

"That's what she just said," Grace snapped. "Honestly Robert E., don't ya ever listen?" She turned back to Michaela and smiled. Michaela knew this all too well. Grace was having mood swings, and poor Robert E. was feeling the brunt of it all. Robert E. gave Michaela a pitiful look, and she smiled, knowing that she had put Sully through the same thing.

"Yes, neither one of you has anything to worry about. You should be parents in about 4 months."

"Ya sure Grace ain't havin' twins too?"

"Are you sayin' I'm fat?!" Grace asked, her eyes becoming misty. Her lower lip started to quiver.

"No!" Robert E. exclaimed! "I was just hopin' it wasn't somethin' in the water. Don't think I could handle two babies right now."

"I'm quite sure there is only one baby. If I ever thing otherwise, I'll be sure to let you both know immediately." Michaela smiled at the expecting parents. "I think we've gone over everything. Just take it easy, Grace. Perhaps you can let Myra do most of the footwork while you're at the café. Robert E., maybe you can bring a chair over for Grace to sit on while she's cooking."

"I've already got it covered," Robert E. promised. He helped Grace off of the exam table.

"Grace, I'd like to see you back in a month."

"Sure thing, Dr. Mike," Grace replied as she pushed Robert E.'s hand off of her arm. "Robert E., I ain't completely helpless! I'm just pregnant!" Grace walked out of the clinic and the nervous father-to-be turned to Michaela.

"Don't worry, Robert E. It'll pass," Michaela promised.

"Maybe I should talk to Sully." Michaela laughed.

"Perhaps," she replied. Robert E. nodded and tipped his hat before he shut the door behind himself. Michaela walked over to sit down at her desk. She opened up one of her medical textbooks and began to read through it. She was distracted, however, when a knock came to the door.

"Dr. Mike?" It was Horace.

"Come in, Horace."  
"Package just came for ya," he announced.

"Thank you, Horace," Michaela replied, shutting her book as Horace placed the wrapped package on her desk.

"Are these the newspapers you've been waitin' on?"

"I believe so," Michaela replied, cutting the twine with surgical scissors. She ripped away the shipping paper and nodded when she saw a thick stack of newspapers before her. Horace left to get back to manning the telegraph. Michaela began to flip through each Denver newspaper, looking through every section, until she came upon one with a headline on the front page. WOMAN KILLED IN TRAGIC HOUSE FIRE. "Oh my God." She began to read through the article. This article was indeed about Millicent Luther, loving wife of David Luther, a businessman from Denver. Apparently he worked in town during the weekdays and came home for the weekends because it was a long trip home. Millicent had been cooking dinner when the house caught on fire just as her husband was returning home for the weekend.

After reading for a few more minutes, the article explained how Millicent was pregnant with their first child, but it was likely that David hadn't known, but it was discovered when her body was salvaged from the debris of the burnt down house.

Tears were already forming in Michaela's eyes, some falling down her cheeks. From the tone of the article, it sounded as if David Luther had been a generous, loving husband who would never hurt another person. Seeing as he only got to see his wife on the weekends, Michaela was slowly beginning to understand how he could have gone so mad with grief.

Michaela flipped through more newspapers, trying to figure out how and why David had decided upon taking her in place of his dead wife. It didn't take long for her to find the answer in another newspaper, and when she found that answer, she wasn't prepared for it.

Sully walked out of the back room, where he had been settling the twins in. He saw the look on Michaela's face, and he immediately knew something was wrong.

"What is it?"

"It's Millicent," she whispered.

"What?" Sully walked over to stand behind Michaela's chair. He looked over her shoulder at the photo that was in the paper. It was a sketch of David Luther's wife. "Oh my God."

"Do you see what I see?"

"That's almost you."

"Yes. Except for . . . that freckle on her cheek, I'd say that was me," she whispered. "Sully, no wonder he thought I was here."

"He was crazy, Michaela. He probably saw us in Denver, thought you were his wife, followed us, and it went on from there."

"I'm sure that happened," Michaela replied, "but now that I know that he really did think I was her . . ."

"I know," Sully whispered. "It makes things seem a lot different."

"Yeah. I feel sorry for him . . . more now than before." Michaela stood and Sully watched her as she walked toward the door.

"Where are ya goin'?"

"I'm going to wire Denver for more information. I have to know everything about her, Sully. I can't explain it . . . I just have to find out what she was like." Sully reached out to take her hand.

"Don't do this alone. Let me be there with you." Michaela smiled, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I'd like that," she whispered. She and Sully gathered up the boys and walked over to the telegraph office together, eager to find out more about Millicent Luther.


	8. Perfect

**Chapter 8: Perfect**

A couple of weeks had passed, and now that December was half-way over, the snow was coming in heavier and for longer periods of time, so the stagecoach was being delayed more often than usual. However, Michaela had written to doctors who examined Millicent Luther's body after it was recovered from the ashes of the house, and they had been sending her confidential information since she spoke to him about the delicate situation of Millicent's husband having held her hostage.

After much debate, the doctors had sent Michaela the case file. Michaela had looked over the case file, and immediately she had come to the conclusion that Millicent's death had been more than just a house fire. The autopsy reports had mentioned a crack on the back of Millicent's skull, but they had written it off as occurring when she passed out from the smoke inhalation. Michaela was convinced that this wasn't so, and she wanted to go to Denver and prove the doctors wrong. She was sure that Millicent had been murdered, and she wanted to first prove it, and second, find out who had done it.

Over the past week, Michaela had been preparing for a trip to Denver with the family. After much arguing with Matthew, she and Sully had finally agreed to let him stay home and look after the house. Michaela hadn't wanted him staying alone, but Sully finally decided that since Matthew was sixteen and would be looking after his own house within the next year or so, they should give him a chance to spend some time by himself. Sully had also taken it upon himself to have that father/son talk, explaining to him that he didn't want Ingrid over while they were gone, but Matthew could meet her in town. He also explained to him a few possible consequences of some bad actions, and that had scared Matthew into swearing that Ingrid wouldn't set foot into the homestead.

Sully hadn't threatened his son, and he would never do that, but he had told Matthew what could happen if he and Ingrid made careless decisions, and he felt he could trust the boy to do the right thing.

Michaela, thrilled to have full use of her broken arm again, was bustling about the homestead, trying her hardest to finishing some last minute packing. Sully was outside hitching the wagon. They had arranged for Matthew to drive them into town, they would board the stagecoach, and he would take the wagon back home.

Colleen, Brian, Connor, and Daniel were ready to go, and they were waiting downstairs for Michaela. Michaela had been on-edge for the past few days, worrying about what she was going to find when she did go to Denver. She knew that David was in prison there, and she was determined to find out the truth of his wife's death. Once she found out, she was going to make sure he knew. He had the right to know what happened to her. She didn't think he had it in him to kill his own wife, and she was certain that if he knew that his suspicions were right, that his wife was murdered, he could have a little peace of mind to get him through the rest of his life in prison.

"Ma? You ready?!" Colleen called up.

"Almost!" Michaela yelled from upstairs. Two moments later, she was walking down the stairs with the last suitcase.

"How long are we plannin' to stay there?" Brian asked.

"Hopefully only a few days," Michaela replied. "I want to make sure that this woman's death doesn't go unpunished. I know in my heart that she didn't die in that fire. Someone killed her, and now I just have to prove it."

"Is this because she looked like ya?" Colleen asked.

"No, it's more than that. It's about justice and putting someone's soul to rest." Michaela picked up Connor into her arms. "Hello sweetheart!" She grinned and kissed his nose. Sully walked into the house and nodded.

"Wagon's ready. Matthew's waitin' outside." Michaela swallowed hard and nodded. Sully took her last suitcase and she took the other baby. Once everyone was loaded in the wagon, they started off towards town.

The entire ride there, Michaela was quiet as Colleen and Brian chatted about how Christmas was coming up, and what they wanted from Santa. Colleen knew by now that Santa didn't exist, but Brian hadn't figured it out. Colleen decided to keep quiet about it until Brian found out, because she didn't want Christmas to be less magical for him.

"Are we gonna be in Denver for Christmas?" Colleen asked.

"Well, we still got a couple weeks till Christmas. I'm sure we'll be home by then," Sully replied, glancing at Michaela. Michaela gave him a weak smile, and he began to wonder what was on her mind. He knew that she had been thinking about Millicent and how horrible her death had been, but something in Michaela's eyes told Sully that it was something else bothering her.

When they arrived in town, Loren handed Colleen and Brian some things to keep them entertained on the coach ride to Denver. He also supplied Sully with a shotgun, which Sully refused to carry. Loren insisted he take it, reminding him of what happened the last time. Sully was against guns, but he knew he needed to keep his family safe. He told Loren to give it to the coach drivers.

"You'll send word when you get there?" Dorothy asked.

"Yes," Michaela replied, hugging her friend. "I will." Michaela turned to Grace. "Grace, make sure you take it easy. Robert E., don't let her work too hard."

"I'll be helpin' her out," Myra promised.

"I'll look after the clinic for you," Holly promised.

"Thank you," Michaela whispered. Sully helped Colleen and Brian into the stagecoach as the drivers loaded their belongings on top of it. Michaela and Sully each held a baby in their arms, and as they were starting toward the coach, Michaela stiffened. Sully took her free hand with his own, and squeezed it gently.

"Nothin' bad is gonna happen this time," he whispered. "I won't let nobody tear us apart again." Michaela looked up into Sully's eyes and nodded. He gave her hand a soft kiss and she squeezed his hand.

"We'll be fine," she whispered with a nod. Sully helped her into the stagecoach and climbed in as well. Once the Sully family was situated, they waved goodbye to their friends and to Matthew. The coach pulled out of Colorado Springs, and started off for Denver. Sully held Michaela's hand, letting her know that he was there for her. He was determined to make this ride as comfortable as possible for her.

"Don't worry, ma," Brian began, "the bad man's not gonna get you this time."

"Oh Brian," Michaela whispered softly. "I don't believe he was a bad man. I believe he was just so grief-stricken over his wife's death, and he didn't have a family like we have to comfort him. He didn't know how to handle his pain. People make bad decisions."

"But he took you away from us 'cause you looked like his wife," Michaela pointed out.

"Yes," Michaela replied. "But nobody ever knows exactly why someone makes such a bad choice. But I feel that he truly believed I was Millicent Luther."

"He musta loved her an awful lot," Brian suggested.

"Yes, Brian," Michaela whispered, "I believe he did." Sully squeezed Michaela's hand again, and she smiled at him lovingly. Sully sighed heavily and looked out at the snow-covered ground as the stagecoach rolled through the countryside. He despised David Luther for taking Michaela away from him the way he did, but he had also started thinking about what Sully would have done if Michaela had been killed in the same manner as Millicent. He probably would have gone crazy with grief as well. Although they hadn't been together very long yet, Sully couldn't think about what life would be like without his beloved Michaela.

Several hours later, the bellboy at the hotel opened the door to the Sully family's suite. Michaela had saved up a bit of money, and Sully had saved up money he'd collected from selling furs from his traps. They had made enough to keep a suite for a few days, so Sully hoped that their stay wouldn't last more than that, otherwise they'd be sleeping in the streets.

The suite was divided into two bedroom, which both Michaela and Sully were grateful for. They could at least have some privacy! Brian and Colleen rushed toward the room with two small beds to claim the ones they wanted and to argue over which one was theirs. They shut the door to break in the beds by jumping on them. They figured that if they closed the door, Michaela and Sully wouldn't know they were jumping on the beds like they were told not to do.

The bellboy left, and Michaela and Sully put the twins down in the cradles they had requested, and they sat down on the end of the large bed in their room.

"What a day," Michaela sighed. "Tomorrow I have my work cut out for me, huh?"

"Yeah," Sully replied. "You gotta be at the hospital at ten?"

"Yes," Michaela replied with a nod.

"Well, we got till tomorrow mornin' then. What do ya wanna do?"

"I think I'd like to spend some time with my family," she replied with a smile. Everything has been so hectic lately, so I'd like to spend a quiet evening here. We can send the children to bed early." She kissed Sully's lips with a tender passion, which promised much more to come.

"That sounds nice," Sully replied against his wife's lips. Once he pulled away, Michaela bit her bottom lip as she grinned at him promisingly. "I better go get the kids to stop jumpin' on the beds before one of 'em breaks an arm."

"Perhaps we should send them to bed early for misbehaving," Michaela advised. "They've got to learn not to jump on the bed. We can have family time tomorrow." She gave him a suggestive wink, and Sully got up to go reprimand the children. Michaela leaned back on the bed, relaxing for the first time in quite awhile.

Sully poked his head inside of the kids' room. They had collapsed onto their beds as soon as they heard the doorknob turning.

"Hi pa," Brian said with an innocent smile.

"Where's ma?" Colleen asked.

"Your ma's restin', and don't think you can fool me. I know you were jumpin' on your beds, and I want ya both to get ready for bed."

"But," Brian began to complain.

"No buts," Sully said, holding up a hand. "Your ma and I want to get some sleep."

"But," Colleen replied, "I ain't tired."

"Well, your ma and I are real tired," Sully stressed, clearing his throat. "We want to get some sleep 'cause we've been missin' sleep since the boys were born. We want to sleep as often as we can." Brian groaned.

"But can't we stay up a little longer? It's just getting dark."

"It's been a long day. I'm sure if ya change into your night clothes, you'll be ready to sleep in no time," Sully urged, hoping that the children would go to sleep soon. He really couldn't wait to get back to his wife, so they could catch up on all of that 'sleep' they'd been missing out on.

"But why do you and ma gotta go to sleep now?" Brian wondered.

"Umm," Sully began, searching for an excuse. "Well, see, your ma and I really like sleepin'. It's our favorite part 'bout goin' to bed."

"Really?" Brian asked. "I don't like goin' to sleep. Why is it so fun for you and ma?" Sully's brain was running slow at the moment, thinking of Michaela waiting for him back in their room.

"Brian, just stop askin' questions," Colleen groaned. "Let's go to bed. I am kinda tired anyway." Brian sighed but wasn't finished asking question.

"Pa?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Why do you and ma go up to bed so early all the time?" Sully sighed heavily and shook his head.

"Because we're real tired now that the boys are here."

"Oh," Brian replied, satisfied with Sully's answer.

"You two get ready for bed. I'll come check on ya in five minutes. You better be in bed."

"Yes pa."

"Yes pa." Sully left the children's room, shutting the door behind him. He found that Michaela was no longer in sight, and he saw that the door to the washroom was shut.

"Michaela?"

"I'll be out in a few minutes. I'm just freshening up," Michaela called out. Sully removed his coat, boots, and shirt so he was standing only in his buckskins. He removed his belt and put it over the chair with the rest of his clothes. He pulled back the covers on the bed, and pondered what he could do to surprise Michaela. A grin spread over his face and he walked over to pick up Michaela's medical bag. He rummaged through it to find what he needed. He heard Michaela bustling around in the washroom, so he decided to quickly check on the children.

He quickly rushed over to open the door. Colleen had turned down the oil lamp, and both children were in their beds.

"Good night," Sully said with a smile.

"G'nite, pa," the kids said in unison.

"I'm gonna lock your door for awhile." He knew that Michaela hated locked doors at home, but they weren't home, and Sully wanted some time alone with his wife.

"Why?" Brian wondered.

"In case of burglars. If ya need me or your ma, just knock, okay?"

"Okay," the children replied. Sully shut the door and locked it.

"Sully?" Michaela's voice came from the washroom.

"Yeah?"

"Could you turn down the oil lamp?" Sully smiled, wondering what his wife was planning, but he did as she asked. When the only light in the room was that from the fire in the fireplace, the door opened and Michaela walked out. Sully's jaw nearly dropped when he saw Michaela's gorgeous form. She was wearing a beautiful form-fitting and flowing white silk robe. Her hair was let down, and she looked like an angel from heaven. He completely forgot about what he had planned for Michaela.

"Wow," he whispered. "You look so beautiful, Michaela." Michaela grinned and walked over to link her fingers with his.

"Thank you," she whispered. Sully could smell a sweet perfume on her skin, and his mouth began to water. "It came on the stage for me today. It's an early Christmas present from my sisters." Michaela let out a soft chuckle.

"Well, they have great taste," Sully admitted. Michaela grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Are the children asleep?"

"They're in bed," he replied. He kissed her soft, luscious lips, and her hands moved to his sides, gently rubbing the sensitive skin above the waist of his pants. Sully's hands moved to rest on her waist, and his tongue licked over her lips, teasing them before exploring her mouth with a passionate intensity. Michaela moaned into his mouth as he began to walk her over toward the bed. She was inching herself backwards, and when she felt the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, she fell back with a laugh as Sully climbed over her, resting his knees on either side of her. When Sully's eyes locked on hers, Michaela's grin slowly faded, and she brought her arms up around Sully's neck. She pulled him down to capture his lips with her own, and she could feel his heart beating rapidly as his chest rested against hers.

Sully's passion grew as Michaela's breasts heaved against his chest. His pants were quickly becoming more and more uncomfortable. Michaela could feel his arousal through his pants, and she moved her hands down to unbutton the single button of his buckskins. Sully pulled himself off of her, crawled off of the bed, and quickly rid himself of his constricting pants. Michaela saw the burning desire in his eyes, and her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips. She could clearly see what Sully did to her, and the sight of his arousal made hers own increase faster than lightning. She climbed off of the bed to stand before him. She untied the sash of the robe and let it fall in a perfect white puddle at her feet. Sully's eyes began to examine every part of her beautiful form. Her breasts heaved with her passion-induced gasps of breath.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are, Michaela," Sully whispered as he closed the gap between them, taking his gorgeous wife into his strong, protective arms.

"Why, Mr. Sully," she breathed hotly against his lips, "you really know how to flatter a lady." Sully's hands moved to press her against his growing arousal. Michaela moaned as she felt him pressing against her. "Sully . . ." She found it incredibly amazing how Sully could make her moan like that with the smallest action. A grin spread over Sully's face again as he remembered his plan from earlier. He picked her up into his arms and laid her down on the bed. His head rested against her heaving chest as her hands moved through his hair.

A grin spread over Sully's face again as he remembered his plan from earlier. He picked her up into his arms and laid her down on the bed. He walked over to her medical bag.

"Sully?"

"Shh," he whispered, putting a finger to his lips. He picked up the stethoscope and put the earpieces in his ears. He walked over to kneel beside the bed. He put the other end of the stethoscope to Michaela's chest. "Close your eyes." Michaela did as Sully asked. He put the instrument against her chest and listened to her racing heart. "I believe I need to run some tests."

"Oh?"

"Mhm," he answered. "I need to know what makes your heart race the fastest." He leaned over to kiss Michaela's neck, letting his tongue slip out to trace across her most sensitive spot. Her heart sped up a little and she moaned as Sully's tongue continued to torture her neck.

His hand traveled down to stroke her breasts, lightly rubbing against her nipples. She arched her back and moaned in pleasure, her heart speeding up the entire time. Her heart sped up so quickly when his hand moved between her thighs and began to stroke her, caressing her center until her heart beat so fast that it sounded as if it was going to burst.

"Sully!" she screamed out. Sully quickly hushed her with a kiss to the lips.

"Shh," he whispered. "Don't worry. Dr. Sully's gonna take real good care of ya."

"Mmm," I like the sound of that. But Dr. Sully had better do something quickly. He's about to lose his patient. I might die from anticipation."

"Well, I guess I better take care of that then, hmm?" Michaela nodded enthusiastically against the pillow. Sully settled himself between her legs, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He buried himself inside of her within moments, and she tightened her legs, making the friction even more intense. Michaela's neck craned back as her head thrashed against the pillow.

"Sully!" Sully's moans were buried in the pillow as he began to move within her, bringing pleasure to her with every stroke. His pace increased as Michaela met his thrusts with her own.

She called out his name, crying out her own ecstasy as Sully's passion built up by the second. Their moans mingled together as the firelight made their shadows dance along the walls.

Just as they both hit their climax, they released their passion together and collapsed against one another. However, their energetic activity had caused them to scoot to the edge of the bed, and they fell off, landing on the floor together in a very loud thud. They lay there breathless, trying to recover from their intense experience. They were hoping the babies wouldn't wake, and once everything remained quiet, they breathed heavy sighs of relief. However, they were not expecting what happened next.

"Ma! Pa!" Brian called from the room next door.

"The door!" Michaela exclaimed as the doorknob began to rattle.

"Don't worry. It's locked," he whispered against her ear, kissing her cheek.

"What happened?" Colleen asked a moment later.

"It's alright kids. Uh, your ma was so tired that she was sleep walkin'," Sully called out. "She just tripped and fell over the bed. She's alright."

"Oh," Brian replied. "Well, good night,"

"Goodnight," Michaela replied, panting for breath. As soon as everything was quiet, Michaela and Sully collapsed on the floor in silent fits of laughter. Sully stood and pulled Michaela up into his arms. They crawled into bed and held each other close as Sully pulled the blankets up to cover them. Michaela rested her head on Sully's chest as his hand absent-mindedly rubbed her arm.

"How ya feelin'?"  
"Mmm . . . perfect," she whispered. "I'm much more relaxed now, thanks to you, Dr. Sully," she whispered. They looked around for the stethoscope, which had been tossed across the room in the midst of passion. It was now draped over the coat rack, swinging slowly in mid-air. Michaela laughed and kissed her husband. It wasn't too long before Michaela was so comfortable that she fell right to sleep. Sully knew that she deserved the night they just had, because the next few days, he was sure, were going to cause a lot of stress. All he knew he could do was be there for her when she needed him the most.

"Hank! Will ya hold still?" Myra asked as they stood in their bedroom that evening. She wanted to do something nice for him, so she was trying to take his measurements to make him some new shirts. Hank wasn't exactly cooperating. He kept fidgeting, and Myra was growing more and more frustrated. "Hank! Please! I want to make ya some new shirts. Ya don't want Zack seein' his pa in these ratty old things, do ya?"  
"What's wrong with 'em?" Hank asked, offended. Myra rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Hank, how long have ya had these shirts?"

"I dunno. Ten years?"

"Yeah, it's time for some new ones." Hank groaned as Myra finished taking his measurements. Once she was finished, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Done?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I'll get started on these first thing in the mornin'. I'm tired, so I'd like to go get some sleep." She started over toward the bed, but Hank scooped her up into his arms. Myra laughed as he kissed her, and her laughs subsided until she was moaning into her husband's mouth.

Hank was never so affectionate unless he was with Myra. He had some problems with public displays of affection, but Myra was slowly working on him. She loved how fun he was when he was with her, and it was obvious that they were good for one another.

"Hank, I'd love to do this right now, but I've got things to do," Myra whispered. Hank groaned and put his wife down.

"What kinda things?"

"Well, I gotta go finish cleanin' up from dinner. I gotta . . ."

"Can't those things wait?"

"No, because in the mornin' the dishes are gonna pile up. It ain't like you're gonna lift a finger to help me with the housework." She walked off toward the door.

"Myra . . ."

"What?"

"Ya know I'd help ya, but I just don't know how." Myra rolled her eyes.

"Excuses, excuses, honey," she laughed. She held her hand out.

"What?"

"I've got a surprise for ya."

"Surprise?" he asked, walking over to take her hand. "What kinda surprise?"

"You're going to get your first lesson on dish washing." Hank sighed with disappointment, but followed his wife out the door and down to the kitchen, knowing that if he helped her out, she'd be much more appreciative, and he loved when Myra was appreciative.

Around midnight, Michaela woke in her husband's arms. She could hear Connor fussing, and it would only be a matter of time before he got frustrated and started to scream. She pulled her robe on and walked over to the cradle. Once Connor was in her arms, she settled down in a chair and began to nurse him.

"There there, my love," she whispered. "Everything is fine, see? I'm here, and I'll never leave you." She rocked her son back and forth as he nursed, and she began to hum a little tune.

She wasn't much for singing, and she doubted her own singing abilities, but sometimes, when the mood struck her, she would sing. It had a calming effect on her, and she knew from experience that it calmed her boys. Before they were born, she would sing to them when they would keep her up at night with their kicking. After a few minutes of their mother's singing, they would seem to settle down and go to sleep. It had been an incredible experience for her.

Her fingers gently caressed her son's soft brown hair. She was amazed at how beautiful her newborn sons were. A few months ago they had been these beautiful, pink, hairless little creatures. Now they were even more beautiful, chubby, and had the most soft, gorgeous hair she had ever seen on babies. She knew she was biased because they were her babies, but she knew they were beautiful. They looked just like their father.

"One day, I'm gonna take you and your brother to Boston," she whispered. "Well, the entire family will go, and we'll spend time with your aunts and your grandfather. He's going to spoil you boys with gifts, I just know it." Michaela chuckled, and Sully heard her. He smiled, opened his eyes, and sat up in bed. She saw him and sighed. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"Don't be," he whispered. He pulled the sheet around his waist and walked over to kneel beside the chair. Michaela yawned and looked down at her nursing son. Sully loved the way Michaela looked when she had one of their children at her breast. Her eyes would be brighter no matter if she was tired or not. She always seemed at peace during this time.

Michaela smiled when she saw the way Sully was staring at her. She leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"I love you," she whispered, stroking his cheek much like the way she had stroked her son's soft hair.

"I love you too," he replied.

"I don't want today to end. Tomorrow, it's all going to change."

"You're right," he whispered. "Even though tomorrow might be rough, we'll always have tomorrow night, and it ain't gonna be no different than tonight."

"Is that a promise?" Michaela asked.

"Sure is," he whispered, kissing her hand. Michaela smiled and sighed happily.

"You should go back to bed. I'll be there once I'm finished here." Sully nodded, stood, kissed his wife, and started back toward the bed. Michaela watched him walk with complete love in her eyes. She was still amazed that she had been so lucky as to find the one man who understood her, was patient with her, and loved her no matter what.

Once Connor was finished eating, Michaela placed him back in his cradle. She tiptoed over to the bed and slipped out of her robe. Once she was under the covers, she snuggled against Sully, and he wrapped his arms around her. Michaela went to sleep with a smile on her face, knowing that if it was possible, every night for the rest of her life would be just as perfect.


	9. Cracking the Case

**Chapter 9: Cracking the Case**

The children were all up and ready for the day by the time Michaela woke in the morning. She realized that it was eight thirty, and glanced around the room, seeing no sign of Sully. She hurried out of bed and pulled on the clothes she had laid out for the day. She looked in the cradles to see her little boys dressed for the day but sleeping.

As soon as Michaela had buttoned up her dress, she sat down in front of the mirror and began to brush out her long, golden brown locks. She frowned, wondering where her husband was, and she was about to get up to check on the children when the door opened. Colleen and Brian rushed in with Sully right behind them. They were all cleaned up and dressed.

"Good morning," Michaela greeted them.

"Mornin', ma," Brian replied. "Pa took us downstairs to get some breakfast in the hotel restaurant. It sure wasn't as good as Grace's cookin', but it was still pretty good." Sully stepped out into the hallway and wheeled in a cart.

"Brought ya some room service." Michaela smiled gratefully at him.

"Thank you, Sully," she whispered. "Why did you let me sleep in so late?"

"Just figured you'd had a long night," he replied, winking at her.

"But ya went to bed early. Sure seemed like ya got enough sleep," Brian pointed out. Michaela gave Sully a knowing look, and he cleared his throat.

"Why don't you two go downstairs and find out the best way we can get to the hospital?"

"Okay," Brian replied.

"Hold your brother's hand, Colleen," Michaela called after them as they headed out the door.

"Ma! I'm nine!" Brian exclaimed as Colleen grabbed his hand and tugged him down the hall. Michaela laughed and Sully brought the tray over to set before Michaela. She began to eat breakfast, while her eyes continued to glance at the clock.

"Michaela, don't fret," he said with a chuckle. "Ya got plenty of time before you gotta be at the hospital."

"I know, but if I'm late, the doctors will not be pleased. They're already going through enough trouble to exhume the body and bring it in."  
"Well, they'll wait on ya." Michaela sighed and continued to eat. Daniel began to cry, and Sully walked over to pick him up. The boy stopped fussing as soon as he was in his father's arms.

"There's my boy," he whispered, kissing the baby's cheek.

"Sully, once we get to the hospital, you can take the children around town if you'd like. I don't want you to have to sit around and wait for me. I'll feed the boys right before we leave so they should be fine for a few hours." Sully cleared his throat and put the baby back down into the cradle.

"Alright," he agreed. "That sounds like a plan." Michaela set the tray aside and stood up. She took a drink of water before she turned toward the mirror to look at herself again. She wanted to look presentable. Sully walked over to stand behind her. He put his arms around her waist and she leaned against him. "You look so beautiful." Michaela smiled, and Sully's hand moved up to touch the locket she wore day and night. The chain gave way and the locket fell into Sully's hand.

"Oh! Sully? Could you re-fasten it?"

"Sure," he replied. Michaela gathered her hair up and held it in place so Sully could see the tiny clasp against her bare neck. As soon as he had fixed her necklace, he leaned forward to press a warm kiss to her neck. Michaela felt shivers up and down her spine, and she closed her eyes, relishing his touch. His lips met her beautiful skin again, and Michaela's arms fell limp at her sides. Sully pulled her hair away from her neck and draped it over his wife's shoulder. He began to kiss the side of her neck and she leaned into him again. His tongue darted out to taste her, and she felt as if she was going to melt into a puddle.

"Sully," she breathed. "We can't do this now."

"Hmm?" he asked. His mouth continued to work its magic as his hand moved to caress the side of her breast. Michaela completely forgot about everything except for his mesmerizing kisses and caresses.

"Never mind," she whispered. She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around him. They seemed to melt into one another, and before too long, Sully's hands were working at the front buttons of Michaela's dress as her hands moved up his shirt to caress his bare chest underneath.

Sully's hands began to run through Michaela's long hair, and she moaned as she felt Sully pressing into her thigh. The sounds of running footsteps made them break apart, and the children came into the room. Michaela turned in Sully's arms, her hair a bit of a mess. Both of them had faces flushed with a bit of red, and Sully hoped Michaela would stand in front of him for a few minutes so he could, well, relax.

"Um, sorry," Colleen said, blushing at the fact that she and caught her parents kissing like that. Michaela blushed, but smiled through it.

"It's quite alright."

"We found that ya can get a ride to the hospital in ten minutes."

"Alright. Will you go wait for us downstairs?" Michaela asked. "I need to finish my hair, and you children are going to spend the day with your father."

"Really?"

"Yep," Sully replied with a nod, his hand finding Michaela's. They gave each other a firm squeeze.

"While I'm at the hospital, I want you two to be on your best behavior. I want you both to help out with the boys."

"We can do that," Colleen promised. "Right Brian?"

"Right," the boy replied. Colleen and Brian left again, and Michaela turned to Sully. They grinned at each other and kissed one another sweetly. Michaela pulled away and walked over to grab her brush.

"I'd better hurry," she pointed out. Sully nodded and left Michaela alone so she could put her hair up. He took the boys downstairs to wait with their brother and sister.

Sully, Michaela, and the children were outside of the hospital now. Brian was harping about a candy store he'd seen on the ride over, and Michaela was trying to tear herself away from her family. She had left them alone before, but they were in a big city now. She was worried, because the last time they had gone to Denver, something terrible had happened. She was trying to tell herself that it wouldn't happen again.

"We'll be fine, Michaela," Sully promised. "Don't you worry." He gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. Michaela kissed him softly and bent down to kiss little Connor in his arms. She gave Brian a kiss on the cheek, then Colleen, and then little Daniel who was in his big sister's arms. "We'll see ya at one, alright?" Sully asked. Michaela nodded. He noticed that Michaela still looked unsure. He smiled and removed the necklace that Michaela had made for him while they were engaged. He grinned, remembering how proud she looked when she gave it to him. He leaned in to whisper into her ear as he placed the necklace into her gloved hand. "Keep this with ya. You'll be safe." Michaela touched the locket on her other necklace.

"This keeps me safe."

"Ya don't look like you're feelin' too safe. Just keep this with ya." Michaela smiled thankfully and kissed him on the cheek.

"Be careful."

"Always," he promised. Michaela sighed and turned to walk toward the hospital. Sully looked at the children, and Brian began to fidget.

"Pa?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we go to the candy store?"

"What will your ma think about that?"

"I promise I won't eat too much."

"I don't know, Brian. I don't want ya spoilin' your appetite."

"Come on, pa," Colleen urged. "We won't eat too much." Colleen normally wasn't one to eat sweets, but she figured that since she was in Denver, it was a vacation, and she could indulge a little. Sully sighed and nodded.

"Alright, let's go," he replied. The Sully family, minus Michaela, started off in search of the candy store they had passed on the surrey ride over.

Meanwhile, Michaela walked into Dr. Garner's office. He and another older gentleman, whom Michaela presumed to be Dr. Edwards, were discussing something when they turned to see the doctor.

"Good morning, gentlemen," she began. The doctors saw the medical bag in her hand.

"Ah, good morning, Dr. Quinn, I presume?"

"Yes. And you are Dr. Garner?" she asked nervously, having only met him once in Boston several years ago. He nodded. "Yes, and this is my partner, Dr. Edwards."

"Good morning, Dr. Quinn," Dr. Edwards replied. "Shall we go into the laboratory for a bit of privacy? This isn't the kind of subject to be discussed in the middle of a doctor's office."

"Of course," Michaela replied. The three doctors traveled down a corridor of the hospital, and Michaela thanked God that these two didn't seem to have anything against women doctors.

"The body was exhumed this morning," Dr. Garner pointed out. "There isn't much left except for the remaining bones. Perhaps you will be able to prove us wrong today with your theory that she was murdered instead of killed in the fire like we had originally assumed."

"Perhaps," Michaela replied with a simple nod. Once they were settled around the table, Dr. Garner unveiled the remains of the dead Millicent Luther. The sight of her remains irked Michaela. Normally something like this wouldn't phase Michaela Quinn-Sully, but seeing the woman whose picture she had seen in the newspaper, a woman who had looked just like her, sent haunting chills through every part of her being.

"Dr. Quinn? Would you like to do the honors of examining our patient first?" Michaela swallowed hard, nodded, and began her examination of the remains of Millicent Luther.

Just as Sully had expected, he was regretting letting the children have candy at the candy store. Now he was carrying the twins down Main Street while Brian and Colleen were running around in every which direction. They had had too much sugar, and Sully knew Michaela would not be happy once she found out they had each consumed a whole pound of candy apiece.

"Whoa! Kids! Kids!" Sully called out as they ran ahead. Colleen and Brian turned around, and Sully could see that they weren't going to come down from their sugar-high anytime soon.

"If you'd not tell your ma about this, I'd appreciate it."

"It ain't your fault we ate all that candy," Brian replied.

"Yeah it is," Sully replied. "I shouldn't have taken ya into that candy store. Now your ma is gonna have my hide when she finds out I let you eat all that."

"We won't tell," Colleen promised.

"You want us to lie to ma?" Brian asked.

"No," Sully replied. He was seriously contemplating telling the children that not saying anything wasn't lying, but that wouldn't be a good example to set for them. He had to teach them that it's best to take the consequences of your actions. "Don't worry about it. I'll talk to your ma about this later." At that point, Brian groaned. "What?"  
"I ain't feelin' so good."

"Me either," Colleen admitted.

"Okay," Sully replied. "Let's just go back to the hotel."

"I don't wanna go back yet," Brian groaned.

"Well, you both gotta lay down. That's what your ma would make ya do." Sully and the children started off toward the hotel, and Sully hoped Michaela wouldn't be too upset with him for this.

"And as I conclude, gentlemen, you can now see that the fracture on the back of our patient's skull was not caused by a fall to the floor. The contact had been much faster and much harder. If she had fallen, the pressure of the impact would not have caused such a fracture." She looked up to Dr. Garner and Dr. Edwards.

"Please excuse us for a moment," Dr. Garner replied. He and Dr. Edwards turned their back and began discussing the case. Michaela sighed heavily. She hated it when her colleagues did that. All throughout the morning, the two doctors had treated Michaela has an equal, but when it came to her own conclusion, they had to team against her to discuss what they were going to say next. She wasn't going to stand for that.

"Excuse me," she said, clearing her throat. When they didn't turn around, she decided to speak up. "Excuse me!" The two men turned abruptly.

"Dr. Quinn?"

"I would appreciate it if you would not turn your back on me. I am a doctor in every sense of the word, and if you think I am not competent enough to handle this case, you should come to Colorado Springs, and I assure you there are people there who are willing to speak up for me. While I am in your company, I expect to be treated not as a woman, but as a doctor." The two doctors glanced at each other and cleared their throats.

"My apologies, Dr. Quinn," Dr. Garner replied. "Dr. Edwards and I were just coming to the decision that your diagnosis is correct."

"Oh?" Michaela asked, surprised to hear those words.

"I admit that we didn't pay as much attention to the case as we should have once we heard she died in a fire. But you've shown us that we were wrong. I do believe Millicent Luther was murdered."

"So you both believe the fire was a cover up?"  
"Yes," Dr. Edwards replied. "David Luther was a business man, and he had many enemies. But as for finding the murderer, I'm afraid it would be like finding a needle in a haystack, Dr. Quinn." Michaela nodded.

"I suppose you're right," she replied. "But I don't want to give up. I want to find out who did this. This woman didn't deserve to die in the way that she did."

"You're right, Dr. Quinn," Dr. Garner replied. "I'm not going to assure you that we'll ever find any evidence to point to a suspect, but we can find out who David Luther's enemies were."

"Thank you," Michaela replied. The two men left the room, and Michaela felt an eerie silence fill the room. She covered up Millicent Luther's remains. "I'm sorry, Millicent. Nobody deserves to go through what you did." She swallowed hard and left the room, feeling satisfied that her suspicions had been correct. But she didn't feel better. She felt worse now that she knew a killer was still on the loose. She had no doubt in her mind that David hadn't killed his wife. Sure he had killed before, but he killed because he thought he was saving his wife from kidnappers. He had unknowingly kidnapped her. She was sure this man hadn't killed his wife, but then again, there wasn't any proof to point to who did, either.

Sully and the children met Michaela at the hospital right on time. The children had had a bit of rest, and they were both feeling a little better. Brian's face was a bit greener than usual, and Sully knew Michaela would notice right away.

As soon as Michaela saw her family, she hurried over. She hugged Sully and pulled Daniel into her arms so he wouldn't have to carry them both.

"So?" Sully asked.

"My suspicions were correct, but there are no suspects." Sully sighed heavily.

"What are ya gonna do now?"

"I have to tell David." Sully swallowed hard, thinking about his wife coming face-to-face with her kidnapper again.

"Are ya sure ya wanna be doin' that?" Sully asked. Michaela nodded.

"Yes," she replied. "I need to tell him. I need him to know that he wasn't crazy. I need him to know that his wife was killed, just like he suspected." Sully nodded in understanding. He knew David couldn't do his wife any harm now that he was behind bars. "He's in prison here, so I'd like to go visit him."

"No, ma! He'll take you again!" Brian exclaimed, running to cling to his mother.

"Sweetheart, he can't hurt me," Michaela whispered. Brian looked up at her. "Brian? You don't look like you're feeling well." She looked at Colleen. "Colleen?"

"Um," she started, looking at Sully.

"We paid a visit to the candy store," Sully admitted. "It's a long story." Michaela sighed.

"How much did they eat?"

"Enough to spoil dinner," Sully replied. Michaela sighed and shook her head.

"Well, I should have known better than to let you take them around town." Sully thought she was about to yell at him. However, she simply grinned. "You're a softie. Those children have you wrapped around their fingers. You never can resist them. Let me guess, they gave you those sad eyes and you just couldn't resist." Brian and Colleen looked at each other and giggled. Sully cleared his throat and shrugged. Michaela shook her head.

"You're not mad?"

"Not at you. But the children should know better than to eat all of that candy."

"But we're on vacation," Brian complained.

"We're not on vacation. I'm here on business."

"So what are we here for?" Colleen asked.

"We're here to support your ma," Sully replied. He gave Michaela a kiss on the cheek.

"I'd like to get some rest before I go to visit David. Tomorrow morning, I'd like to pay him a visit."

"Alright," Sully replied, swallowing hard. "Let's get back to the hotel."

"And I expect the two of you to go right to bed once we get there."

"But," Brian began to protest.

"No buts, young man." The Sully family started off toward the hotel, and Michaela couldn't help but feel lucky. She had a loving husband and five wonderful children. Poor Millicent Luther never got the chance to have everything that Michaela had. Michaela now hoped that Millicent's spirit could finally rest in peace, and that she could bring some peace of mind to David.


	10. Peace of Mind

**Chapter 10: Peace of Mind**

Michaela walked down the long corridor at the prison in Denver. Her husband and children waited outside for her. Sully had insisted on going in with her, but she told him she needed to do this for her own peace of mind as well. She had to face David, because it wasn't as if he was going to be able to take her from her family again. David was behind bars for the rest of his life, and he couldn't hurt anyone again, regardless if he meant to or not.

"Dr. Quinn, are you certain you want to do this?" the warden asked as they passed through a barred door into another section of the jail.

"I have to do this," Michaela insisted. "I have to let him know that his wife didn't die in an accident. He's believed it all along, so much in fact, that he went mad with grief and began to think I was his wife."

"I'll be close by, so if you need anything, just call."

"Thank you, warden, but I doubt it will come to that." The warden stopped in front of a cell and Michaela sucked in a deep breath when she saw David Luther sitting on a cot, staring at the wall.

"Mr. Luther, you have a visitor," the warden spoke up. Michaela swallowed hard as David looked up. The warden left to give Michaela some privacy with the prisoner.

"Hello David," she whispered. David stood up, his eyes lighting up and smile spreading across his face.

"Millicent!" he exclaimed. "It's you!"

"David, I have some news."

"What are you doin' here? I don't want ya to see me like this. Oh, Millicent . . ."

"I'm not Millicent."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"David, I'm not your wife. I just happen to look like her. I am a doctor, and I came to Denver to examine the remains of your wife." The look in David's eyes was one of bewilderment.

"What?" he asked quietly. "Millicent, don't be silly."

"Listen to me!" she exclaimed. "I am not who you think I am!"

"Millicent, why are you tryin' to deny me?" Michaela sighed heavily. She slipped a newspaper through the bars of the jail, stepping back as he reached a hand out. She pulled her hand back before he could touch her. She knew he was harmless, but memories of her kidnapping were flashing through her mind. He read over the newspaper, and his eyes looked up to search for hers. "Why are you doin' this? Don't ya wanna be with me?"

"David, my name is Dr. Michaela Quinn-Sully. I have a husband and five children. After what happened in the woods, I returned home and I looked into your wife's death. I found a photo of her in the paper, and I realized she looked just like me. I needed to find out more. I requested the case files, and the doctors from her case were generous enough to share them with me. After further investigation, we've determined that your wife's death wasn't an accident. She was murdered."

"You're makin' this up!"

"Keep reading," Michaela urged. David looked back at the article, and tears streamed down his cheeks. She passed the drawing of Millicent into his hands. "Your wife had a freckle on her cheek, remember? She pointed to her own cheek. You see? I'm not her."

"Oh Millicent," he sobbed. Michaela sighed, wondering how she was ever going to convince this man that she wasn't his dead wife. Perhaps he could never be convinced. Maybe he was better off believing she was alive. "She's really gone. She's really dead."

"Yes, I'm sorry," Michaela whispered, breathing a sigh of relief that David was beginning to come to his senses. David swallowed hard, everything coming back to him.

"Why did you research my wife's death?"

"Because I was curious. You must have loved her very much, and that alone sent me into curiosity. When I found out what she looked like, I had to find out more about it. That's when I discovered that the fire was a cover-up for a murder."

"Who did it?" he demanded.

"We don't know," she admitted.

"She's dead," he whispered. Michaela swallowed hard, her heart breaking for this poor, grief-stricken man. "Now two men are dead 'cause I thought you were her."

"I know more than anyone that you can't go into the past and bring back a life. I'm a doctor, and I deal with death a lot. It always hurts, and I've made mistakes too."

"You never killed somebody on purpose," David replied quietly.

"No," Michaela replied. She didn't know what else to say to this man, but she could try something. "David, we're looking into all possible suspects. I'm sure someone will be here to question you about your enemies." David nodded.

"Thank you for tellin' me," he whispered. "I'm sorry I took ya away from your family."

"That's the past David. We're all safe now," she replied simply. She gave him a weak half-smile before turning to leave, knowing she'd never see this man again. She'd never have to look into the eyes of the man who had taken her from her family and nearly killed her husband. Though she was glad to put this all behind her, her heart couldn't help but go out to who that man used to be.

Holly had just brought over a picnic basket of lunch for herself, Horace, and Mary, and now that the food was gone, she was taking the basket back to Grace's. Mary was at the café too, because she loved spending time with Grace and Myra, and helping them set the tables.

Horace saw Hank walking over to the saloon, and he remembered a letter had come for him earlier that day.

"Hey Hank?!" Hank turned abruptly

"What?" he shouted across the street.

"Ya got a letter!" Hank wouldn't have bothered to read his mail before Myra had come along, but now that she was there, she had taught him how to read. He figured he might as well find out who wanted to get in touch with him so bad that they had to write a letter to him.

"Who's it from?"

"It's from that special school your boy's in."

"What?" Hank asked. "Let me see this." Hank ripped the letter open and began to read it. Myra, who was taking a break from Grace's, came walking across the street when she saw her husband and former beau.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" when she saw the look on his face as he was reading it.

"Dammit," he muttered.

"Hank?"

"They decided not to release Zack' from the school 'cause he ain't makin' any improvements. They want me to come visit him first thing next week."

"I'll come with ya," Myra offered. "You are gonna go ain't ya?"

"Yeah," Hank replied. "He's my son. I gotta go talk to him. He needs me."

"Maybe we can convince 'em to let Zack come home."

"I guess that'll be up to Zack." Myra nodded. She and Hank walked off as Holly and Mary started up toward the telegraph office again.

"Mama, I want to go play in the snow in the meadow," Mary insisted.

"Alright, sweetheart. Run into the clinic and put on your gloves and scarf. Make sure to bundle your coat up tight."

"I will," Mary promised. She rushed off toward the clinic, and Holly smiled at Horace.

"She's getting adjusted to bein' here."

"Sure is," Holly replied. "I'm so glad she's doing better. The children aren't being so rough on her, and I'm glad."

"Well, she's your little girl, and she deserves to be treated with respect."

"I'm glad you think so," Holly whispered.

"Come inside," Horace said quickly.

"What?"

"Just come in." Holly stepped into the office and Horace pulled the shutters. "I was gonna wait till Christmas to do this."

"What?" Holly asked, her eyes growing wide. Horace kissed Holly's hand and got down on one knee. "Oh Horace. You don't have to do this."

"I want to," he whispered. "I want to give Mary a family like she deserves. I love you, Holly, and I love Mary like she was my own." Tears sprang to Holly's eyes.

"I love you too, Horace. I want to give my daughter everything she deserves," she whispered. "And I'd be honored to be your wife." Horace's face lit up, and he slipped a dainty ring onto Holly's equally dainty finger. "Oh Horace! It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as the lady that's wearin' it." He pulled her up, and they embraced one another happily.

"Oh! I can't wait until Michaela gets back. I'm going to ask her to be my maid of honor!"

"She'll like that," Horace replied.

"Oh, I have to go start making plans," Holly said with a grin. "I'm going to bring Mary here and we can tell her together." Horace grinned and kissed his bride-to-be. "I'm so happy, Horace! You've made me so happy!" Horace smiled from ear to ear as his love practically bounced out of the telegraph office, happy to be making plans for the rest of her life; their life. Horace couldn't wait to start his life with a new wife and daughter. Everything was going to be perfect.

Michaela and Sully had decided to wait until the next morning to start back to Colorado Springs. Right now, the children were resting for the trip in the morning, and Michaela was sitting on the bed, removing her shoes. Sully was rocking Connor in his arms, trying to soothe the baby into a deeper sleep.

"Sully?"

"Hmm?"

"I think he's sleeping."

"That's what ya said last time. Then I put him down, and he started cryin' again." Michaela smiled and yawned a little. She put her shoes beside the bed and pulled her dress off. Sully put Connor down.

"Can you help me unlace this?" Sully nodded and walked over to stand behind his wife. He began to work with the laces of the corset.

"I still don't see why ya insist on wearin' this with your fancy dresses. Ya look so beautiful without it. Ya ain't got a bit of fat on ya."

"You're so sweet," Michaela chuckled. "I'm lucky to have a man like you."

"Not as lucky as I am to have a woman like you." He kissed her neck, and Michaela leaned into him.

"Pa!" Brian called out. Michaela giggled as Sully finished unlacing the corset.

"You had better go see what he wants."

"Alright," Sully replied. "I'll be back in two seconds." Michaela smiled at him suggestively and removed her corset. She pulled her nightgown on and walked over to the bed. She pulled back the covers and crawled between them. She closed her eyes, imagining what romantic gesture Sully would make now.

She settled in against the pillows, sighing with relief that it was all over now. David, though he was in prison, could finally have some closure to his wife's death. She only hoped that the officials would have enough courtesy to tell him if they did ever find the real killer.

Michaela yawned and hoped Sully was dealing with Brian quickly. She couldn't wait to spend the rest of the evening in his arms.

By the time Brian had gone to sleep, Sully was exhausted. It was only about six in the evening, but he had had a long day with the children while Michaela had been at the jail. He knew Michaela was exhausted, because her day had been rather emotionally draining.

Sully shut the door to the children's room, and he turned around toward the bed. He slowly walked over to see that Michaela was sleeping soundly.

"Michaela?" he asked, hoping she was just pretending. He spoke up a bit. "Michaela?" She only yawned a little and rolled onto her back." Sully sighed and shook his head. He crawled into bed and kissed his wife's lips softly. "I love you." He rolled onto his side facing Michaela and fell right to sleep next to his heartsong.

Holly wasn't back with Mary yet, but Horace knew that she had probably stopped to play in the snow with Mary. He had learned over the past few weeks that Holly loved snow, and he'd even caught her making snow angles out in the meadow after the first heavy snow.

Hank and Loren were sitting inside of the saloon. Dorothy, Grace, and Myra had gone to look for Holly and Mary since it was getting late. Well, that had been their excuses anyway. They just wanted to go have fun for once and play in the snow like they did as children.

The town was winding down for the evening, and the only sounds were that of the horses snorting and trotting along, mixed with the sound of laughter and drunken chitchat from the saloon. Robert E. was finishing up a horseshoe, so the sound of his hammer against the anvil ran out every once in awhile.

Jake Slicker walked out of his barbershop wearing his hat, gloves, and a coat. It was amazing how incredibly cold Colorado Springs could get in the winter. Even the simple job of sweeping off a porch required bundling up from the biting cold.

He looked around, watching as a few children in the streets threw snowballs at each other. He never had the chance to do that as a boy. His mother never let him play, and perhaps that was why it took him a long time to get used to children and their antics. He had never had a good childhood.

Holly was holding Mary's hand as she and the other women walked into town. She smiled as the women as Grace and Myra went to their husbands while Dorothy went to the mercantile. Holly was getting ready to tell Mary about her engagement to Horace, but she decided to wait for a few minutes.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go into the telegraph and convince Horace to close up."

"Alright mama," Mary replied. She rushed off, and Holly bent to gather up some snow into her hands. She balled it up, and as Jake was looking off into the distance, she threw it at him, hitting him square in the chest.

"Hey what's the big idea?!" Jake asked angrily. His expression softened when he saw Holly standing in the snow with a grin on her face.

"You looked like you wanted to join in on that snowball fight."

"Yeah, well, I ain't a child."

"Did you ever have a snowball fight as a boy?"

"Sure," Jake lied. "All the time." He turned his back and Holly fired another one at him. A moment later, Jake was pulling snow up into his hands, letting himself engage in a childish game for the first time in his life. Pretty soon he was laughing and throwing the snowballs just as hard as Holly was.

Horace heard the ruckus and rushed out to see what was going on. He was jealous when he saw his bride-to-be playing around with Hank, but as soon as a snowball was hurled in his direction, he and Mary joined in on the fun,

"What in the world?!" Grace asked, rushing out from the livery with Robert E.

"Come on, Grace," Holly invited. "How long as it been since you've acted like a child?" Grace laughed and Horace threw a snowball at her. Soon, several of the townsfolk were doing this, and anyone coming into town would have probably thought they'd all gone mad. Even Dorothy got Loren in on the game. It took a bit of convincing and a few snowballs on Myra's part to get Hank into the game. But after catching a few with his face, he finally broke down and threw one in his wife's direction.

Pretty soon, the town was practically falling to their knees with laughter. A few snowballs were still being tossed, but for the most part, everyone was just enjoying the feeling of being young again brought on by Holly's snow ball game.

Eventually, everyone started off toward home, children running along behind their parents. Mary over to the mercantile to visit with Dorothy and Loren as Holly and Horace stood in the midst of the empty battlefield. Horace pulled Holly into his arms and kissed her.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Holly replied. She and Horace started toward the mercantile when she realized that her scarf was missing.

"Oh! I must have lost my scarf in the meadow. I'm going to go get it."

"I can go get it."

"Oh no. You go see Mary. I'll be along in a minute, and we'll tell her together." Horace gave Holly another kiss before she mounted her horse and started off toward the meadow.

"Holly, wait!" Myra called, mounting one of Hank's horses. "I'll ride with ya." The two women started off toward the meadow. Soon, the street was cleared and everyone was winding down from their game, much like the town was winding as the evening settled in.

Loren, who had adjusted to having Mary around a lot, was sneaking her some candy like he did for Brian. Horace came in and Mary hurried over to him.

"Where's ma?"

"Your ma went to get her scarf."

"Okay," Mary replied. "Don't tell her Mr. Bray gave me candy. She'll get mad 'cause she'll think I'm spoilin' my dinner."

"Your secret's safe with me," Horace said with a chuckle.

At the saloon, Hank was pouring himself a whisky. Jake was sitting at the bar, and the rest of the men had gone home to their families. Hank had just been telling Jake about how his son was stuck at that school and how he had to go visit.

"Are ya gonna go?"

"'Course I am. He's my son. Myra's comin' with me."

"Well, maybe it's for the best if he stays in that school, Hank. Ya tried lettin' him live here before, and it didn't work out."

"Nobody gave him a chance," Hank replied. "He was different from them other kids, but that don't matter none. Mary's different too."

"Don't talk about her."

"Just because you're in love with her ma?"

"Shut up, you hear me?" Jake asked.

"Sorry, but it looks like she's not givin' up on Horace any time soon."  
"She loves him. I respect that."

"But you love her."

"So?"

"A real man would fight for the woman he loves."

"What if a man came into Myra's life and wanted to be with her?"

"I'd kill him!" Hank shouted.

"Well, what if he made her happy? Wouldn't you want Myra to be happy?" Hank swallowed hard and took a shot of whiskey. Of course he wanted Myra to be happy. What the hell kind of question was that?

Just as Hank was about to answer, a blood-curdling scream echoed through the town. One single, shrill shriek chilled the men right to the bone.

THE END


End file.
